


The Tale of Eossimar

by Marvelhead17



Category: Original Work, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Badass Dwarf Women, Battle of Five Armies Fix-It, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Dwarf Gender Concepts, Dwarf Women, Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), Elf Culture & Customs, Elf Women, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Half-Blood Children, Half-Elves, Half-dwarves, M/M, Movie 2: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character Legolas Greenleaf, Past Relationship(s), Platonic Relationships, Pre-Battle of Five Armies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26406994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelhead17/pseuds/Marvelhead17
Summary: A mysterious warrior comes to the aid of Thorin Oakenshield and his Company when they are surrounded by their mortal enemy, but can the soon-to-be King put aside his grievances with the past to let the future unfold for the Dwarven Kingdom, or will he let the illness that hangs over his family consume him as well?With the bravery of a humble miner from the Blue Mountains and the Eossimarians at their disposal, they might just be able to pull it off; but old flames, newfound families and unrequited loves pose many problems along the way for the Company.Certain characters mentioned belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, while others belong to me.Source for Dwarvish words or Khuzdul:Word Press
Relationships: Bofur (Tolkien)/Original Female Character(s), Kíli (Tolkien)/Original Female Character(s), Legolas Greenleaf/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Some common phrases in Khuzdul or Sindarin are simply written in Italics, while longer speeches are enclosed in brackets and written in Italics, such as _[Khuzdul]_ or _{Sindarin}_.

The eldest of the boys perched his little sister onto his lap, the thick woollen blanket draping over his shoulders and providing an extra layer of warmth from the brisk winter just outside closed doors, his younger brother was pressed close to his side, and sharing the blanket by curling the remains over his brother’s smaller frame. The girl tightly gripped the blanket to her chest as she stared in awe at their aunt sitting on a chair before them, and they hung onto every word she uttered, despite having heard the tale a hundred times over, the way it was told never ceased to stop their enjoyment of it.

Her hands gestured in the air as she leaned forward to recount the legend of Erebor, the silver flecks that adorned her short brunette hair shimmering in the firelight; it was the Erebor she knew of before the great destruction that had fallen upon The Lonely Mountain. 

“It was a great land ruled by Thrór, the King of the Dwarves, nearly a century ago, and their riches came from the mountain in which they dwelled– glistening streams of gold travelled down the walls inside of the great mountain, and the deeper the dwarf miners travelled within it, the more valuable and precious the gems and jewels were to be found. And as more gold was mined over the years, the dwarves continued their path further down, into the very heart of the mountain, where only the most dedicated, fearless and strongest miners would dare to search-” she paused to see if the children were paying attention.

The young girl rested her chin on her palms as she hung onto the words, enthralled by the tale although knowing it by heart already, the boys were listening intently and nodding ever so slightly as to encourage their aunt to carry on.

“Until, one day… a large precious stone that blazed a pure white light was discovered by a dreadfully worn-out dwarf, and Thrór had eagerly claimed it as a sign of his right to rule over Erebor, the Arkenstone as all know it to be called in this age, the very heart of the mountain.” She let the information sink in,

“And soon after that, is when the dragon-sickness began to stir from inside the King; he soon began to grow suspicious of those who worked the chambers containing the vast wealth, believing that he had thieves amongst him. He became wary, and constantly appeared to be watching over his shoulders for a traitor; it transformed the King into someone the Dwarven people no longer recognised…”

She lowered her voice to that no louder than a harsh whispering, ensuring that the children leaned forward to hear her words clearly; “Not long after, word travelled across Middle-Earth of the countless treasures inside Erebor, to the ears of one of the Great Dragons of the North, Smaug the Terrible, as he was so aptly named. And that fiend laid waste to the City of Dale, the bustling trade centre inhabited by Men, before he continued his onslaught onto Erebor just north of the city.

“And the beast’s only desire was to claim the gold that lay inside the mountain, he blew enormous flames that singed everything in their path, engulfing delicate silks and turning them into worthless ash, the tall stone buildings that had stood for over two centuries crumbled and crashed from the unbearable heat-” Standing from her seat, she spoke quicker and louder, “The people of Dale grabbed only the essentials as they fled their homes lived in by the generations before them, mothers clutched to their children, while fathers and sons guided them to the docks so that they could make a safe escape, the city was in panic – save for one man.” She kneeled down to them, raising one digit on her hand to emphasise the significance of one being facing a great dragon, the youngest boy sucked in a deep breath in anticipation.

She sprung to her feet, “His name was Girion, the Lord of Dale… and he’d found purchase on one of the watchtowers of the city, he planted himself firmly as he readied the mounted Dwarven wind-lance. And then, he loaded a specially made black arrow into place, forged strong enough to pierce the tough hides of dragon-kind, and those few arrows that the Lord possessed were the very last of their kind, as their makers had long since passed, their method of forging taken with them to their graves.”

“And what did Lord Girion do next?” the younger boy asked and she smiled.

“Lord Girion fired the first arrow right at the beast and it flicked off of the dragon’s scaly skin like a smooth rock over calm water… unable to leave a mark on Smaug- the second followed suit and successfully hit the monster under his left wing, exposing a tiny patch of soft flesh for a final blow that would surely have taken him down-

“However, before the third and final arrow was even lifted by the brave Lord, the dragon had taken his chance to strike his enormous tale and destroy the building from underneath Girion’s feet swiftly. Leaving no hope for the City, only ruins,” she seated herself back into the chair with a shake of her head, her disappointment evident.

“And what of the Dwarves, Auntie?” the little girl turned to her with wide eyes, “Were they injured?”

She nodded solemnly and patted her lap gently, the girl clambered from her elder brother’s lap and moved to sit on her aunt’s, her arms wrapping around the girl carefully.

“Aye, many of the Dwarves were injured lass, mostly during the panic that the attack had caused; and plenty had barely escaped with their lives; my father, yer grandfather, being among the few to escape with his life,” she told her, the girl nodded, staring down at her hands and twining them together in discomfort.

“And what of the King, Thrór, what came of him?” asked the boy.

“We know exactly what happened to the King, we’ve but heard the tale a hundred times over,” the eldest elbowed his brother in his side and rolled his eyes to meet the ceiling, “Thrór had to be dragged out by his grandson, Thorin, with much effort, and the next in line Thráin, Thrór’s son, followed them closely behind as they watched their birth home being taken from them and their people.”

“That’s right Lumlin,” she nodded, “And can ye tell us what happened after, Maethríen?” she turned her head to the girl and smiled.

“Yes, Auntie!” she leaped off of her aunt’s lap and mimicked the stance she had seen her aunt do earlier, “Debris rained down from the heavens around the Dwarves, all the while they tried to reach safety in the expanse of empty lands that lay ahead,” she proudly announced as she perched herself back onto her older brother’s lap.

“That’s right,” she nodded, “And Lorin?”

“Fire consumed the lands that once thrived in people and wealth, _happier days_. That’s what _ugmil ‘adad_ used to say, according to _amal_ ,” the younger boy added, eager to be a part of the story telling.

“Aye, and he of all Dwarves would know, as that was where he was born,” the children bowed their heads for a silent moment, never having met their grandfather but having grown fond of him through memories shared by their aunt.

“Auntie, can I tell the rest of the tale, please?” Lorin begged, she nodded and waited for him to continue speaking. “With their home now lost to them, the Dwarves set out into the wilderness to return to the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria, but the cunning orcs had beaten them to it!” he jumped up from his seated position and raised a fist in the air, shaking it about, “And the worst of the lot was there, Azog the Defiler, he swore that he would end the line of Durin-”

“Ooh- I do not care for this part,” Maethríen squirmed in her brother’s lap, burying her face into his chest as protective arms encircled her and stroked her back tenderly.

“Mae, _please_ ,” Lorin whined at his sister, he cleared his throat and shuffled his shoulders, continuing, “The foul thing started his reign of terror by killing Thrór, beheading him and raising his head as a claim to victory; and instead of running away in horror, Thorin mustered all of his courage and his might and wielded his weapon to face the Orc leader,” he took a quick breath, “Azog was powerful yes; however, Thorin was resourceful and quick on his feet, when disarmed of his shield he grabbed for an oak branch he’d found on the ground, and fought with great heart, earning him his name… Oakenshield,”

Lumlin at this point had gently nudged his sister from his lap and set her aside, she pouted but watched as her elder brother stood to his feet, “Thorin Oakenshield swung his sword and cut Azog the Defiler’s left arm clean in half, he was blindsided and dragged away by his army of orcs… presumed to have died from his fatal wounds,”

“Aye lads, and since that fateful day Thorin Oakenshield had the grave task of becoming King to the surviving dwarves, as his father Thráin had become mad from grief and disappeared without a trace,” they remained in silent awe, “Thorin became a great king at a terribly young age, and for the next few months he led his people across Middle Earth, finding and making do with places for them to live, eventually settling in Ered Luin for temporary dwelling, at least that is what they had thought. And so, for the next sixty years Thorin strived to work hard for his people and sought work from Men,”

The children settled down in their original positions on the floor and waited patiently for their aunt to finish recalling the endeavours that Thorin went on to do for his people, and how he would never forget the day that Smaug had changed their lives for the worst. _Never forgiven and never forgotten._

“Auntie, is there more news of the travelling Company?” Lumlin asked, shifting to sit more upright in full attention.

“Aye dear,” she nodded, delighted to hear that he wants to know more.

“I told you Lorin,” Lumlin pushed the shoulder of his brother playfully, whose response was merely sticking out of his tongue and crossing his arms. “You owe me five gold coins,” he held out his hand expectantly.

“Alright Lumlin, I’ll give you your five coins tomorrow, I haven’t got anything on me just yet-”

“Brothers, please! We came here to listen to Auntie tell us more stories and you’re spoiling it!” Maethríen threw her hands in the air with a huff of annoyance; they stared at her in surprise before bowing their heads down guiltily.

“Sorry Auntie,” they apologised in unison.

“Thank ye laddies,” she nodded appreciatively.

“So tell us Auntie, what is the latest word?” Lorin asked, resting his head on his palms, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked up to his aunt.

“Let me see… I did tell ye of the first whisperings that told of dwarves entering the Shire, the dwellings belonging to Hobbits, specifically to a home in Bag End?” she asked, though already knowing the answer.

“Yes, that’s correct Auntie,” Lorin nodded.

“And I did tell ye about Thorin Oakenshield, along with his company of twelve dwarves, also accompanied by an unexpected fourteenth member, a Hobbit from the very same Bag End?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Maethríen piped up, nodding her head.

“What about the trolls who attempted to roast the dwarves for a feast?”

“Yes Auntie,” Lumlin nodded.

“And, I did tell ye about the rumours of the Dwarven Company, and Hobbit, dining among the Elves in Rivendell, and causing a little ruckus?”

“Yes Auntie,” they said together in an annoyed tone.

“Auntie, can you please continue the story?” Lumlin sighed as he stared at her.

“Alright, alright Lumlin, just ensuring the details were clear to yer minds still, yer Auntie is getting old ye see?” she winked and laughed, earning a giggle from her niece. “Now, have I told ye about what happens _after_ Rivendell?”

“No Auntie!” Lorin sat up, leaning forward to now listen more carefully.

“I see, then that is where I shall continue,” she smiled, “Well, the word is that the dwarves continued onward from the lushness and safety amongst the Elves in Rivendell, to continue their perilous journey along the Misty Mountains, where they faced rough storms, and where they nearly fell to their deaths as Stone-Giants fought to win territories,”

“Stone-Giants? But Auntie, those are just myths told to scare dwarflings from straying whilst walking mountain passes,” Lumlin shook his head in disbelief.

“Aye, that’s what I thought to be true as well dear, but Middle-Earth has ears and eyes everywhere, so there is nothing untruthful with the words that I am sharing with ye on this night,”

“Remarkable,” Lorin whispered in awe.

“There is more,” she waited as they edged closer once again, “They managed to find safety within the caves of the mountain, and as they rested they did not know that they were soon going to be facing hideous Goblins, like moths to a flame, an alluring idea to sleep without watching over their shoulders during the night, and it had clouded their better judgement,”

“Did the Goblins capture them?” Maethríen gasped.

“Aye, and they too nearly took the lives of the dwarves,” they stared at her with widened eyes, “Thankfully Gandalf the Grey, the wizard who had been the one to arrange the company for the journey to begin with, came to their aid and saved them from the awful Goblin King,”

“But then, are the Orcs with their pack of Wargs still hunting down Thorin and the company during this time?” Lumlin asked worriedly.

“Aye, they are,” she nodded, “Both exhausted and terrified, the dwarves had reached the outside of the caves to a slowly setting sun, and the Goblins dared not follow lest they wished to die from the sunlight touching their skin,” her face became serious as she spoke her next words.

“However, their peace did not last very long, as the Wargs had caught on to their scent and led the Orcs straight to them, the dwarves and poor Hobbit so far away from home clung to dangling trees on a cliff’s edge, fearing that this is where their journey, and their lives were to end…”

“They cannot have met their ends!” Lorin practically yelled, his excitement becoming hard to contain, “Not Thorin Oakenshield, he is a fighter, a warrior, a _King_ amongst Dwarves,” he insisted with wide eyes, his jaw slacking slightly.

“Yer absolutely right Lorin, and the King indeed fought hard against Azog once more, and he almost perished, had it not been for the wit and bravery of one Bilbo Baggins…”

“But Auntie, aren’t Hobbits much smaller than Dwarves?” Lorin asked

“Aye dear, as I said, he is a very brave hobbit to take on an orc,” Lorin nodded in amazement, “He wasn’t strong, but he distracted the Orcs long enough for The Company to escape, and I do absolutely believe that Gandalf had something to do with that, as they were rescued by The Giant Eagles of Legend,”

“They rode with The Giant Eagles?”

“Aye, they were carried to safety further away; Thorin was on the brink of death by the time they had reached the flat peak,”

“But surely Gandalf wouldn’t let the King die, right Auntie?” Lumlin asked in concern.

“Certainly not,” she assured them, “He used a touch of his magic to bring Thorin’s soul back from the heavens to Middle-Earth…”

“And then what happened Auntie?” Maethríen asked.

“And then-” she jumped up unexpectedly, making them all startle in their seats, “The lot of ye had to go to bed!”

“Ah, no!” Lorin groaned.

“Aye, ye young ones need yer rest if ye ever want to be strong warriors someday,” she nodded sternly.

“So that’s all?” Lumlin asked, “They made it to a mountain top, where are they now? Surely there must be more!”

“That’s all I know laddie, now off to bed, the lot of ye.” She chased them out and laughed, standing at the doorway to her small home as she watched them run off to their home just across the way from hers. 

A familiar face stood just outside the entrance with a shaking head, and she looked to them with a raised brow, “What?”

“You know I don’t appreciate you exciting them before their bedtime,” the woman crossed her arms and sighed. “And when are you going to give up this silly dream of yours?”

“I’ll hold onto it till I take my very last breath if I must,” she said very seriously. “And if it matters at all to ye, it was also our father’s dream,”

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t put ideas in their heads, they’ve been unruly these past months. Besides, Father is long gone, you need to wake up and realise that he’s never coming back.”

She narrowed her eyes, “It’s not my fault that they crave adventure Lúthrien, I too grow tired of seeing these walls that protect us, and they’re still young; ye can’t blame their curiosities on me,”

“Alright, alright you’ve made your point.” The woman sighed, shifting in her stance, “Can I still ask for you to watch them tomorrow? That is, unless you wish to do your duties yourself, they are yours after all-”

“I’ll watch over them, don’t ye fret,”

Lúthrien nodded and spoke in her preferred tongue, Elvish, “ _{Thank you, goodnight sister},_ ”

“ _{Goodnight, sister},_ ” she nodded and closed her door quietly; she sighed to herself as she entered her bedroom.

_Perhaps I should visit Lake-Town soon, I’m sure they miss me there._ She thought to herself as she changed swiftly into her sleepwear and climbed into bed.

She stared at the stars that twinkled in the blackness, wondering if any news of the company would come soon. After minutes or hours she did not know, but sleep overcame her followed by a dreamless night.

* * *

Dawn broke through the window and alerted the start of the new day; she rolled from her bed and changed from her sleepwear, before washing her face hurriedly with some cold water to waken her for the day ahead.

As she exited her room she was assaulted by a pair of arms circling around her waist, she laughed and grabbed around the figure to lift her niece into her arms, and placed her against her hip with ease.

“What’s this, a Goblin attacking me from below?” she nuzzled her head against her niece’s. “Ye caught me off guard lass,”

“Auntie you’re so strong,” the girl giggled in surprise.

“Of course, ye have to be when ye’re a warrior,” she grinned and scanned the room briefly, “Where are those pesky brothers of yers?”

“Hey- we’re not pesky!” Lorin whined from just behind her front door, he stuck his head out and revealed his hiding spot, crossing his arms with a wooden practice sword in hand and pouting slightly.

“Well that’s one of ye,” Nari nodded. “Where’s yer brother?” she asked and the boy shrugged. “Don’t play with me now, I know ye know,” she rolled her eyes as he denied yet again, and ambled towards the front door with Maethríen still on her hip.

“Aha!” Lumlin jumped from the left where she couldn’t see, he startled Nari momentarily, but she still managed to grab a hold of his wooden sword with her free hand. “Ugh no, Auntie!” he tried to tug it back but she had a firm grip on it. “Lorin this is all your fault! You were supposed to distract her- not get caught out immediately!”

Nari let go of the mock weapon and he stumbled backwards and regained his footing, neatening his clothing as he glared at his younger brother, she lowered her niece to the ground once again.

“Now, now lads, ye can only blame yerselves for what happened,” she chided, “But ye also seem to forget that yer Auntie is unstoppable,” she brushed Lorin’s hair wildly and he swatted her hand away.

“Auntie will always beat you, silly boys,” Maethríen stuck her tongue out at her brothers, as she rested her hands on her hips, impersonating her mother.

“As soon as Mother allows us to train with Auntie, then we’ll get better,” Lorin said determinedly.

“You mean _if_ Mother allows us to train with Auntie,” Lumlin sighed, “We should be grateful that she thinks these are just toys and not for practice,” he gestured to his battered wooden sword.

Nari felt her stomach grumble and she looked at them, “Have ye all eaten breakfast then?” they all nodded, “Well maybe I can get ye something else while we’re there, I’m starving,”

“We’re going to the market?” Maethríen asked, Nari nodded, “Oh maybe we can say hello to _atar_ while we’re there! He’s always busy,”

“That’s because he’s working Mae,” Lumlin shook his head, “How else will he feed us?”

“Come on, it’s a beautiful day and we can’t be standing about doing nothing about it,” Nari gathered them and walked behind them as they quickened their pace.

A few of the stall owners that had noticed them gave their usual greetings, while others busied themselves marketing off their products with other villagers, and Nari found herself drawn to a stand selling freshly baked breads. The smell nearly made her mouth water, and she happily purchased her favourite bread, the stall owner smiled and then stiffened as his eyes caught something behind her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s that lad of yers again,” he told her, “’suppose he didn’t expect to see ye here,

“Thank ye, keep well,” she closed his hands around the money and looked around the marketplace in search of the children, and spotted them standing at their father’s stall.

She walked on, barely glimpsing at the dwarf that seemed to be staring holes into her head, and tore some of the fresh bread off to eat. By the time she reached the stall she had finished it and wiped her hands together, before briefly brushing away any rogue crumbs from her clothing.

“Morning Nikolas,”

“Ah there you are Nari,” he smiled, “I thought these rascals were with you today,” he bent over and kissed his daughter on her head, making her giggle, “Are you keeping well?” he asked, looking up at Nari.

“Aye, thank ye, and yerself?”

“Yes,” he stood up, catching sight of the dwarf from earlier, “I suppose you haven’t spoken to him today?”

“Not yet, I’ll get round to it once I’m done with yer little menaces,” she said and he nodded.

He leaned forward, “Lúthrien said she’s helping yer mother today, and they’ll be indoors all day. Make of that what you will,” he winked and she smirked.

“Thank ye, come on children,” they walked on, after waving their goodbyes, and she looked down at her niece, “So what do ye want to do, mm?” she brushed the girl’s hair.

“What if _we_ want to do something Auntie?” Lorin asked.

“We’re always doing what you want,” Maethríen pouted and then perked up, “I want to go see the animals!”

“Of all things, you have to choose the smelliest?” Lumlin wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“If that’s what Mae wants that’s what we’re doing lads, I don’t want to hear any complaints,” Nari scolded, “Besides, I heard that the sow has given birth just a few days ago,”

Maethríen gasped, “So they’ve got little piglets? They’re so cute, and pink!” she squealed.

“You’re a piglet,” Lorin rolled his eyes, “You even squeal like one,”

“Hey,” Nari tugged his ear quickly.

“Ow!” he wriggled and she let go.

“That’s not how ye talk to yer sister, apologise,”

“Sorry for calling you a piglet, Mae,” he spoke quietly, barely making any eye contact as his foot brushed across the floor.

“Now, is that how we apologise?” she asked, crossing her arms and looking down at him.

“No Auntie,” he cleared his throat and spoke louder, “I’m sorry for calling you a piglet Mae,” he gazed down at his sister and she grinned at him.

“I forgive you Lorin,”

“See? Look how easy that was. Now…” she paused, a grin spreading on her own face, “I’ll race ye to the farm, last one there is a rotten troll!” she ran on as she finished her sentence, and the children yelled out in surprise, immediately giving chase to try and catch up with their Auntie. She beat them and they stood panting for a few minutes to catch their breath. 

“That wasn’t fair Auntie,” Lumlin said, “You didn’t give us any chance to prepare for that,”

“You’re only upset because you’re the troll now,” Lorin teased, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as his older brother glowered at him.

“Well next time we’ll make a more formal race, how about that?” Nari asked and he agreed, “Good, then I’ll have witnesses to prove that I’m faster than the lot of ye,”

“Ooh- I can hear the piglets!” Maethríen shrieked, “Just over there!” she climbed onto the first beam of the wooden fence, pointing in the direction of excited squeals inside the barn. “Auntie, can I go see them? Please?”

“If Haga says it’s alright,” the girl ran around to enter the main barn, “Just try not to get your dress dirty!” she called as the girl disappeared from sight, and she resigned, looking to her nephews. 

“So who’s telling her that we get our breakfast sausages from the pigs?” Lorin asked, hanging on the fence.

_“Nobody,”_ Nari said sternly, “Ye know very well that that would upset her, that’s cruel Lorin,”

He rolled his eyes, “She’ll get over it, I had to,” he leaned over the fence to pet the calf that had wandered over to them. “It’s a wonder that animals can be cute, but also tasty,”

“It’s when you start talking that way, that makes me wonder if you’re really my brother sometimes,” Lumlin shook his head at his brother, scratching the calf’s chin gently, it closed its eyes and leaned forward. “Besides, it’s not a lump of meat; it’s a living, breathing creature, just like you or me,”

“I’m glad one of ye is taking to heart what I say,” Nari sighed and looked down at the calf, its big brown eyes stared blankly at her and it gave a little moo, she gave it a soft pat on the snout and it licked her hand. “Ye are quite cute, ye know,”

“There ye are!” a familiar voice spoke and she smiled as she turned to see her brother.

“Callon,” she greeted.

“I heard ye have the children for the day, and wanted to join ye,” Callon smiled as the boys acknowledged him, and surveyed the area, “Where’s Mae?”

“Torturing the piglets,” Lorin answered, “I do hope she doesn’t try to bring one of them home,”

“We’ve already got a family pig,” Lumlin shoved his brotherly lightly on the shoulder.

“I am _not_ a pig!” he shoved his brother back harder.

“Hey, don’t push me!” he jumped off the fence and used both hands to push his brother off as well, and soon enough they were having a shoving match with each other, that was getting more aggressive as it progressed.

“Boys,” Callon shook his head and they stopped bickering.

“He started it,” Lorin muttered.

“I don’t care, I’m finishing it,” he glanced to the sky in silent prayer, before looking between the two clearly bored and irritated boys. “Tell ye what, why don’t we go see if old Haga has his little gallery set up then?”

“Now that sounds like an idea,” Nari agreed.

“I bet you can’t even hit down one can,” Lumlin looked at his brother as they ran off to the barn.

She was about to follow when Callon stopped her with a gentle hand on the shoulder, “I saw Cáleb lurking around, has he bothered ye today?” he asked quietly.

“Not yet, but I’ll speak to him when the day is over,”

He moved his hand away, “I think that’s fair enough,”

“Ye’d think after this many years he’d learnt his lesson,” she started to walk on when a shadow flew over her head, she instinctively stretched out her arm and the owl landed gently on it. “I didn’t expect to see ye for a few more days at least,” she gently rubbed its head and it nuzzled against her.

“Maybe they’re closer than we expected?” he asked as she frowned at the owl.

“Perhaps,” she retrieved a few pellets from her pouch and fed it to the owl, “That’s for being such a clever girl,” the owl made a content clicking and walking onto her shoulder, nuzzling under her ear and settling down, “Do ye have any word for me girl?”

As the owl squeaked and clicked into Nari’s ear, her eyes widened as she looked at her brother, then it cosied up comfortably against her head.

“What is it, bad news?” Callon asked.

“They’ve just made their way into Mirkwood,”

“On their own… Isn’t the forest growing ill there?”

“It is,” she thought for a moment and her eyes lit up.

“Nari, I know that look in yer eyes, what are ye thinking?”

“I have to go after them,”

“Nari-”

“Callon, there’s a fair chance that they’ll get lost there, besides, what if the Elves capture them? Then our chances of returning home will be gone, King Thranduil will not take lightly to them being there,”

“Alright,” he sighed, “Do what ye must, but for Durin’s sake be careful,” he pulled her in for a hug, forcing the owl to move away with a surprised chirp, and fly above them. “I’ll keep an eye on the three of them,”

“Thank ye,” they let go of each other before pressing their foreheads together, “I’ll be back soon, promise,”

“Stay safe,” he said as she walked away, he watched as her owl flew just above her, before she started running and disappeared out of sight.

The few moments of silence were disturbed, “Uncle? Where’s Auntie?” Maethríen asked from behind him, he looked down at her and smiled, kneeling down.

“Auntie will be back soon,” He looked at the path she had vanished along, “She’s just gone on an adventure.” 


	2. Chapter 1

She walked along the thick branches and observed The Company down below; they had just narrowly escaped the giant spiders that had planned for them to be their dinner, having been caught just moments before in their tough webbing and struggling to regain their consciousness. She admired their determination to live and how they fought so fiercely, albeit ungracefully, but that was to be expected of dwarves.

A familiar soft screech sounded overhead and she turned her attention farther behind them, witnessing a group of Elves approaching with weapons ready in hand towards them, she tensed briefly as she saw the shadow of a figure running along the branch just above her own, and recognised the blond hair instantly.

“We’re clear!” a dwarf with a neatly trimmed beard called out, appearing to be leading the dwarves.

Within seconds the last of the spiders had been dispersed or killed off, and the elves had surrounded the dwarves with their arrows at the ready, the blond had made his grand entrance by crushing a spider and gliding down the slope using its dead body to slide under the belly of another and slicing it open, killing it instantly.

He raised his own arrow to the leading dwarf with a piercing gaze, “Do not think I won’t kill you, dwarf- it would be my pleasure,” the elf must have squinted at him, for she knew him well enough to recognise the tone he gave, and the dwarves lowered their weapons hesitantly.

She made a light clicking sound with her tongue and her barn owl flew to her side, perching on her outstretched arm, “This may be my only chance girl,” she rubbed under the owl’s beak carefully and gave a lopsided smile before sighing, “Could ye be a dear and drop these for me on my call?” the owl made a short yelp and reached her claw out to grab at the small grey pouches resting in her open palm. “Go,” she gently moved her arm forward to encourage the owl to fly away and smirked to herself.

_“Help!”_ a voice called out from a short distance away, she glanced just further ahead and noticed a younger dwarf with ebony hair had been separated from the main group and appeared to be in trouble, she leaned forward and returned her attention back to the group below her, torn between who she should aid first.

“Kíli!” a young dwarf with honey hair turned around in the group, alarm clear in his features, the other lad, was facing a handful of spiders all on his own, without weapon nor thought to what may be of use.

_Thwick._

An arrow struck a spider down and a elf-maid appeared out of the shadows, and pursued her onslaught of the creatures, the dwarf was desperate to be a part of the action, and she seemed to take no notice of the dwarf as he tried to gain her attention.

“Throw me a dagger! Quick!” he called out to the red-headed elf as a spider rapidly approached him.

“If you think I'm giving you-” she shot an arrow and struck down a spider, “A weapon, _dwarf_ ,” she turned her assault to her backside as one tried to sneak up behind her, “You’re mistaken!” she slashed at it and threw her dagger into the eyes of the spider behind the dwarf, and it curled up into a lifeless corpse.

The dwarf was completely stunned by the elf-maid’s skill, as she easily nudged him along to the rest of the group without argument on his side. She shoved him with the others and turned away from his staring, and she spoke quietly to the leading elf and he nodded, she then returned to the forest, disappearing from view.

“Search them.” the elf ordered, and the elves lowered their weapons to gather closer round the dwarves and inspect them for any hidden weapons.

She took a breath before standing and yelling loudly in Khuzdul, _“[Hold yer breath!]”_ And before anyone could question what was happening, she raised two fingers to her mouth and whistled at full volume, and within seconds her barn owl flew overhead, screeching out eagerly, releasing the pouches from her grasp.

Once they hit the ground a puff of lilac dust filled the air around the dwarves, a few of the elves coughed and waved their hands in front of their faces to clear it away, before falling unconscious to the forest floor. She sighed in relief, upon realising the dwarves had heeded her order to hold their breaths as none of them lay with the elves.

She then leaped down from her branch and rolled effortlessly onto her feet, making the dwarves jump in their skins, and stare in awe at the stranger who had come to their aid. She performed a mock bow and paused upon hearing a grunt from behind her, she turned on her feet to see the blond elf was still standing and very clearly vexed with the situation that had just ensued.

“You again,” he huffed and stepped forward, pulling out his set of long twin daggers from his side to swing at her, she ducked easily having anticipated it.

She struck him in the stomach to send him off balance, and it had worked briefly before he had made another step forward to continue his assault, his stabbing motions were haphazard at best, as his fighting was fuelled by outrage. She gave another punch to his face this time and stunned him enough to make him stagger backwards, shaking his head, but was too slow to counteract and she seized her opportunity to take hold of one of the daggers he held.

She forced it from his grip and made a quick cut to his cheek, a warning, and it alarmed him enough to release the twin dagger and it sunk into the forest floor. He stepped back, touching the drop of blood that came from the wound, before regaining his thoughts and deciding the problem could be dealt with later. He reached behind his back for his bow and arrow and was quick to draw it back, the string becoming taut with his pull on it.

She dropped the other dagger to sit with its twin and smirked at the elf, he only squinted at her, she stepped forward and the dwarves held the breaths, they had remained motionless throughout the brief fight and were now uncertainly anticipating what may come next.

“Now, now, let’s be adults about this and put the toys away, shall we?” she nudged the arrow from her face with one finger, not breaking his intense gaze and he narrowed his eyes further.

“It seems very unlikely that you would not act as a child,”

“ _{Humorous as always}_ ,” she rolled her eyes and leaned forward a little more, “ _{I think it would be best if you were to leave, the Dwarves are not of your concern}_ ,”

“Last I was aware this was Elven territory and therefore they are trespassing, which makes it all the more my concern,” he retorted, “And yet again, your terrible accent ruins the elegance of our Elvish tongue,”

“Ye still understood what I was saying, now get lost,” she spat back, she turned on her heel to face the dwarves, and they finally had a first real look at their helper.

They could not help their staring, as she was truly a rare being; her clothing was not in any way feminine, save for the tunic almost acting as a short dress, which was worn over brown tights. The tunic she wore was a rich maroon; it was lined around the edges with traces of shimmering gold. However, it was not made to size and gave plenty of room, had it not been for the subtle curve of her chest or the softness of her beardless face, she could have easily been mistaken as a man.

Her hair was short and messy, unlike any dwarrow or even dwarf would keep for cultural purposes, though she had somehow managed a tightly woven braid on her head and a loose braid ending with a single bead on her left side. Her hair allowed her ears to be in full view- they were pointed just like an elf’s, at least one was- as the other seemed to be deformed from damage and had a small piercing on the outer ear.

She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted, “You cannot still be harbouring hard feelings-” he started, and she immediately turned around to confront him.

“Oh- so ye care about feelings all of a sudden do ye?” she flicked her wrist in the air quickly, snapping her fingers in quick succession, and they heard yet another screech, this time round more noticeable than the first, and a small barn owl appeared from the shadows of the trees.

It whizzed by at great speed towards the elf and gripped his bow in its talons, the arrow fell to the ground, becoming useless without its partner, and having stepped forward already she then threw the strap of his bag of arrows from his shoulder, she tossed it to the side out of reach and gave him a swift kick in his gut, making him stumble and fall to his knees. He had no choice but to look up to her from the ground as he spoke.

“I did not mean-”

“Ye’re full of it, and ye know what Legolas? It’s said that actions speak louder than words, perhaps then ye will understand how I am feeling,” she threatened, jabbing a finger at him angrily.

“Do you really wish to do this?” He pleaded with her suddenly, but she was not having it.

“Aye, I do,” she moved nearer and hovered over his now smaller form, and then promptly kicked him in the groin, he whimpered with a squeak and his hands moved over to protect the area from further damage, and to somewhat comfort himself.

The dwarves all winced empathetically, they might not get along with the Elves from generations ago, but they do share the knowledge of the agony he must be feeling now, and they stood still in fear as they watched him collapse to the ground; tears brimming in his eyes.

She turned to face the dwarves once again, a smirk of satisfaction clearly written on her features, “Where was I?” she wondered aloud.

Behind her, Legolas, apparently recovered from his brief injury, was crawling quietly on the floor to reach out for his daggers that were not far from him. His efforts were rewarded as he managed to clasp one of the closer of the two; he raised it in his hand, preparing to throw it at her when Kíli pointed out in alarm.

“Behind-!” She took her dagger that was resting in its sheath on her side and turned blindingly fast, throwing the blade at the elf’s arm and successfully pinning it by his tunic to the roots that were escaping the ground next to him. “-you.” The dwarf finished, his jaw dropping at her remarkable speed, and the elf’s eyes widened as he gaped at her

“Try that again, and the next one will be between yer eyes,” she warned him irritably, gesturing with her index finger as if chiding a child, she was about to turn around again when Legolas spoke up.

“Next time I’ll get you, Nari, I swear by it,” he meant it to be a threat, but somehow it did not come out that way to her as she simply smirked at him.

“Ye said that on our last encounter and look where we are again,” she gestured wildly with her hands to the open space around her, “Now, why don’t ye go home and cry to daddy about it, Princess?” she hissed at him.

He grunted and huffed as he gathered his weapons and left the dwarves and her, taking what dignity he may have left along with him. She picked up her dagger from the ground and returned it to its sheath.

“Who are you?” she swivelled around to find the dwarf with honey hair enquiring, still dazzled by the bravery he just witnessed, and she shook her head with a smile.

“Right-” she bowed down dramatically instead of curtseying as would be expected, “Nari, at yer service,” they hear a screech above their heads and flinched before relaxing as she made no movement, and the barn owl from earlier swooped down to the dwarf wearing the hat, she nestled herself onto it and made a satisfied screech and ruffled her feathers.

Some of the dwarves chuckled, others laughed, Nari included, while the dwarf in the hat yelled out, “Oi- yer a right cheeky thing ye are-” he waved his hands above his head to chase the owl away; she stayed where she was and nipped at the fingers that came too close to her, the largest dwarf with copper hair was nearly crying from laughter at the scene.

Nari made a brief whistle and the owl immediately pricked up and flew over to her handler, landing on her outstretched arm, “There’s a good girl,” she spoke softly and rubbed the owl’s face gently with two fingers, it chirruped enthusiastically and nipped softly at her fingers. She reached into a small pouch on her tights and pulled out a small pellet, she lifted it to the owl and it grabbed for it, swallowing it whole before nudging her handler’s cheek affectionately. “Ye’ve done well today my dear,”

There was a loud clearing of the throat from the leading dwarf, and she lowered her hand briefly from the owl before giving her attention to his piercing gaze. “And ye must Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór,” she rolled her free hand in front of her recalling the title from memory, and he tensed upon hearing his identity being known, “I have to tell ye, that’s a bit of a mouthful every time I’ve heard it, and this…” she briefly glanced to the rest of the dwarves surrounding him, “Must be the rest of yer company, and ye’re headed to Erebor, to reclaim the mountain?”

“You seem to know a lot about us, but we know nothing of you,” Thorin stepped forward, trying to intimidate her somewhat, though it clearly was having no effect on her as she remained where she stood, his eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of anything about her.

“What Thorin means is, how come this information to you… Nari?” an older dwarf with snowy hair stepped forward, raising a hand slowly in front of Thorin, as if he would be able to prevent the dwarf King from racing forward and starting an unnecessary brawl.

“Well as the world would have it, whispers of a group of dwarves seen in the Shire turned to talk, talk became gossip in wildly inns of nearby villages, and gossip never misses the chance of meeting someone’s ears, even those not part of the conversation,” she explained with a shrug. It was the truth, for the most part.

Thorin shook his head in disbelief at the information, and cursed lowly in Khuzdul before speaking clearly, “Of course word spread from the Shire, Hobbits can’t seem to keep to themselves,” he growled.

“It was bound to happen Thorin, beings have eyes ye know,” the dwarf with the hat spoke up suddenly, he rested a hand on Thorin’s shoulder before removing it on the glare that he received, “And speaking of Hobbits, where is little Bilbo at?”

“We seemed to have lost our hobbit yet again; does anyone care to look for him?” Thorin asked the company, slightly annoyed, some of the others scanned the area around them and shrugged or raised the brows in confusion, and Bilbo seemed nowhere to be found.

Nari cleared her throat quietly and raised the arm with her owl still perched on it, “I also had Screech here to be my eyes and ears,” she admitted, “For some of yer journey at least,”

“Now how does an owl work as your eyes and ears?” the golden haired dwarf asked in wonder.

“Ye’d be surprised what we’re capable of,” she simply looked at him.

“Screech, what kind of name is that for an owl?” the younger dwarf, Kíli, asked from next to the dwarf with honey hair.

“A perfectly reasonable one considering that’s what she does,” Nari shot back confidently, “I was younger when I named her,” she stroked the owl’s head and she chirruped keenly. “And, I didn’t see any Hobbit when I was on my way here,” she informed them, “Also not to sound ungracious or anything, but a ‘thank ye’ would’ve been nice, I didn’t necessarily _have_ to stop and help ye out,”

Thorin huffed angrily, “We did _not_ need your help-”

“Oh right, that’s why the elves had ye surrounded, were ye having a party then?” she asked sarcastically while staring him down.

“I do not care for your tone young lady-”

“Well let me assure ye, I’m no lady, and likewise yer _Majesty_ ,” she snapped back, “And I’m sure yer company are all exhausted from yer journey- I know a place where ye can stay for the night, eat some good food, sleep without having to watch over yer shoulders, and most importantly get yerselves a proper scrub down,”

The dwarf with snowy hair smiled warmly, seemingly grateful to the invitation, “What a wonderful offer-”

“How can we trust you, if we do not know you?” Thorin cut him off, not as willing to trust a complete stranger as his friend.

“Oh, don’t be such a stubborn dwarf, I’m offering ye help,” Nari crossed her arms irritably, making Screech flap her wings wildly as she lost her purchase, she flew behind them and settled on a low-hanging branch.

“Thorin please, a word?” the dwarf asked Thorin calmly, he nodded begrudgingly and they moved to the side lines and spoke quietly to each other, the leader sighed and faced her with a defeated expression.

“What is the catch?” he asked with a raised brow, as the offer seemed suspicious.

“Oh, no catch,” she waved her hand and Thorin seemed relieved momentarily, “However,” she paused, making him hold his breath, “I would request a favour for a favour,”

“A ‘favour’ would indeed be what one might call a catch, and if you are seeking gold-”

“Not gold, nor jewels, nor riches of any kind,” she assured him.

“Then what could you possibly be asking for?” his brows creased in a frown.

“Let’s just leave it at the fact that, it’s something so simple and possibly yet also, impossibly difficult to give,”

“Why must you women circle around the point of the conversation, and not just get right to it?” he muttered.

“Well, I do think that it’s best to discuss this when we reach our destination, the forest tends to have ears that listen in,” she glanced around, causing some of the other dwarves to do the same out of fear, “Screech isn’t the only trained animal out here,”

“Fine, then we shall take you on your offer, but if I so much as find cause to believe you intend us harm-”

“Alright, alright, enough with the speeches,” she raised her hand wanting him to stop talking, “Let’s get moving, we’re burning daylight,”

Thorin nodded begrudgingly before motioning his hand before him, “Lead the way, Nari.”

She nodded her head to an arched treeline that made for an entryway of sorts, and the dwarves hurriedly gathered their things before following diligently, Thorin leading them with his sword firmly in hand. It was not long before they reached a darker part of the forest, and they followed cautiously, becoming wary as the forest had already tricked their minds and could do so again.

Screech took to Nari’s shoulder and rubbed her head affectionately against the pierced and damaged ear; she simply chuckled and then spoke quietly to the creature, before sending it off ahead of them into the darkness.

She spoke almost impossibly soft in a language that sounded like Elvish but was somewhat more beautiful, perhaps ancient, as she walked ahead and the forest seemed to shift around them slightly. Thorin’s grip tightened on his Elven sword and some of the others tensed as well, and they stopped before a pathway leading to a quietly babbling brook that had not been there moments before.

The entrance tunnel was lined with toadstools and unfamiliar plants that were all glowing a faint blue, it seemed uninhabited from any other life; giant lily pads of deep purple bobbed ever so slightly on the surface of the stream, forming a makeshift stepping stone by their understanding.

She rested her hands on her waist and nodded to the tunnel, “So this is it,” she smiled and looked at them.

“Where does this lead to?” Thorin asked in suspicion, “How do we know you are not simply leading us further into the depths of Mirkwood?”

“If ye did not trust me, why would ye follow me?” she asked impatiently, “And I assure ye I would not dare to lead ye further into the Elven territories-”

“Thorin, please be reasonable,” the snowy haired dwarf begged.

“It’s hard to be reasonable when someone who clearly has elven blood is leading you through their territory,” he glared at his friend and gestured wildly to Nari.

“Ooh, ye dwarves can be so pig-headed-” she balled her fists and stepped forward towards Thorin.

He gritted his teeth, glaring at her, “Your kin stood by and watched mine, as they ran for their lives when that beast came down on us-”

“ _My_ kin had nothing to do with it! Whatever actions that were taken on by King Thranduil were followed by his guard, and _by Durin’s beard_ I cannot believe ye would still be holding onto a grudge all these years later-”

“Aye, I do!” he stepped closer.

She matched his movements as the words spilled from their tongues, each becoming louder than the next, “Yer a stubborn-”

“Pretentious-”

“Daft-”

“Selfish-”

“Unruly-”

“Arrogant-”

“Move!” she gasped and shoved him to the side with wide eyes and he yelled out at her.

She removed her dagger from her side and swung it just in time to cast the arrow to the side, making it stick into the ground. The others turned around in alarm at the sudden attack, looking for their assailant.

“You Dwarves are always so loud,” the red-headed elf-maid appeared from the shadows behind the company and approached them; they dispersed to the sides of the clearing. “And what are you?” she eyed Nari and cocked her head slightly to the side, and she only glared at her in response. “No matter, you’ll have to answer to King Thranduil soon enough,”

“Ye’ll have to get through me if ye want to lay a hand on any of them,” Nari stepped forward, her dagger still in hand.

“That should be easy enough to do, _half-breed_ ,” she put her bow back into its sling and removed her own dagger from its sheath, stepping forward as well.

“Oh, I’m so hurt by yer words,” she mocked and placed a hand over her heart, “Whatever insults ye have to say I’ve heard ‘em all before, but forgive me, for thinking a _lowly Silvan-elf_ would be clever enough to think on their own,”

Nari’s words seemed to have hit a sore spot as the elf-maid charged forward and made to stab her, but Nari was faster, and she elbowed the elf-maid’s arm that held the dagger in hand and caused her to lose her balance, and Nari moved her hand behind to grab at the long, loose hair on her head. She yanked at it, causing the elf-maid to drop her weapon and Nari held her own to her throat, holding her hair in a tight grip.

“Ye have such pretty hair dear, it’s a pity that I can use that against ye,” she pulled harder, making the elf-maid bend backwards in an awkward manner as, being an elf, she was much taller than Nari.

“No wait! Don’t hurt her!” Kíli ran forward, his hand reaching out to them.

“Ye are aware; she almost killed Thorin, right?” Nari asked, looking at him quizzically, the elf-maid stared at him, her expression softening upon meeting his eyes. She moved her blade a little further away, but still pulled her hair to hold her in place, seeing the worry in the young dwarf’s face.

“ _{Release Tauriel}_ ,” Legolas’s voice demanded from behind her, she immediately tensed and brought her attention back to the elf-maid in her grip.

“And if I don’t?” she asked, pressing the blade against the elf-maid’s throat once again, making her swallow uncomfortably.

“Then we’ll see to it that the dwarves are no longer standing,” he threatened, ensuring that he spoke in common tongue so that the dwarves understood as well, and she stole a glance to her surroundings, realising that each dwarf had at least two or more elves behind them awaiting orders, and the company gazed around uneasily.

“ _[Damn it]_ ,” she cursed in Khuzdul before dropping the dagger to the ground and releasing the elf-maid from her tight grip.

“Her first,” Legolas ordered, stopping an elf-maid that was preparing to cuff the dwarf with snowy hair, a smirk creeping into his features as he picked up her dagger from the ground.

“Well, that went well,” the dwarf with the hat quipped sarcastically as he and the others were handcuffed, and the elves shoved them along to get them moving slowly out of the clearing, the entrance disappeared from sight just as Legolas had noticed the unfamiliar path in the forest; he turned to Nari and lowered his head to meet her eyes.

“What was that?” he nodded his head to the area.

“None of yer damned business, _Greenleaf_ ,” she spat back.

“If you won’t talk, no matter, my father has wanted to meet the elusive Nari for years, he will be most pleased to see you,” he patted her cheek and stood tall once again. “ _{We walk}_ ,”

They trekked back through the forest, passing the clearing they had been in earlier, with Thorin being made to lead his companions to meet their fate with the Elven King of Mirkwood. Nari walked not too far behind him just behind the two younger dwarfs, and between the dwarf with snowy hair and a large balding dwarf.

The bald one was quite stoic in his manner, not looking anywhere but forward as he marched on, while his companion seemed to lose the optimistic hope he had had when Nari had offered them sanctuary, but he tried to muster a smile as she looked over at him.

She returned the smile, and raised a finger to her lips, he watched and frowned as she ducked her head slightly; removing a thick hair pin from her hair and turned her hands in the cuffs so that her palms faced the ground.

“ _[I may need someone to make a noise to distract the elves, but only on my signal]_ ,” she mumbled to the dwarves, Kíli and his companion turned their heads at this and smiled mischievously at each other, then glancing at her and nodded.

“What did she say to you?” one of the elves asked, having noticed their movements and getting a suspicious feeling from them.

“She was just describing how feminine all you Elves look,” said Kíli’s companion.

“Aye,” Kíli nodded with a smile, “And that you all probably wear lacy gowns during tea time,” he chuckled, making the elf snort and turn his attention ahead. He winked at her and Nari’s lip twitched in a smile with thanks.

She made quick to work at her handcuffs with the hair pin tightly gripped between her finger tips, and soon enough she felt the pin lock into the correct spot, she peered up to make sure the other elves were not watching, and caught the snowy haired dwarf glancing at her. He simply gave her an approving nod and smile, something about him was familiar and assuring, she nodded and turned her attention back ahead.

“ _[Now]_ ,” she said. Kíli took immediate action and stepped on his companion’s foot, making him yell out in pain, his companion shoved him in return with a glare.

“You big oaf, you stood on my foot!” he shook his cuffed fists in the air, “How would you like the favour returned?” he grabbed hold of Kíli by his front and in turn stomped on his foot.

“Hey! That hurt!” Kíli cried out louder than was necessary, had the snowy haired dwarf on her side not nudged her side gently Nari would have continued to watch the young dwarves perform in front of her, she focused her attention on her cuffs.

There was a sudden loud clink of metal unhinging, but thanks to the dwarves now causing a scene, it had gone unnoticed. Very few of the dwarves had caught the sound themselves, but they kept silent and pretended as if nothing odd had happened, unsure what she might do as she was now free.


	3. Chapter 2

For what seemed like an hour at the least they had been walking, they finally exited the forests leading from Mirkwood’s grand entrance, and the two guards that stood next to the doors followed behind and proceeded to slam them shut after the group. She realised it was going to take a lot more effort than she initially thought to escape from the Elven Kingdom, especially when there were so many to help escape against the vast number of elves by comparison.

They were led along long winding branches inside what felt like the heart of an enormous tree from ancient times; above and below went on to pitch blackness for what looked to be an eternity, but thankfully the path that they walked did have an end. The group stood now before one of the most pretentious beings Nari had ever laid eyes upon, his hands were decorated with large precious rocks and intricate golden rings, and on his head a crown adorned with inspirations from nature rested, being almost twice as big as his head.

“Well, what do we have here?” the Elven King stood from his throne and twisted his hand with a flourish in the air, he stepped forward to walk down the steps, his delicate and elaborate robes flowing behind him on the ground.

They had been made to stand in a row and Thranduil now walked along the line, eyeing them all from the youngest up to Thorin who stood the furthest away, “Thirteen dwarves and a…” he scrutinized Nari who stood left of Thorin, “My word, the rumours are true,” he lowered himself to her level.

“I wouldn’t get too close,” she sneered.

“Feisty little thing aren’t we?” he chuckled, “My how unnatural you people are,” he stood upright and stepped back, “I’ve never had the unfortunate business of meeting one of you in the flesh,” she glared at him, Thorin frowned heavily between them, “It just proves that dwarves will be awfully horrible looking creatures even if they have elf-blood coursing through them,”

She laughed derisively, “That’s funny ye see, seeing I’ve this mug of a face _because_ of the elf-blood,”

“And she holds the temper of a dwarf as well,” Thranduil let a smirk reach the corner of his lip, but before he could continue his ridicule his breath hitched as he noticed something on her. He moved closer and took hold of the leather that was hung around her neck, as he lifted it the white crystal he had glimpsed was now in full view and glittering, and Thranduil’s amused look had all but disappeared. “Where did you happen upon this?” he demanded, eyeing her.

“My mother gave it to me as a babe, what’s it to ye?”

“Your mother must have been a common thief,” he tugged sharply at the crystal and the worn leather snapped under the sudden pressure, “This belongs to me!” he hissed and clutched the crystal tightly in his hand, and then moved his hand to his chest, letting it rest against his heart.

“Ye should not talk so poorly of yer _kin_ , yer _Majesty_ ,” she spoke through gritted teeth and a heavy glare.

“I can assure you, _half-breed_ , no kin of mine would steal from their own,” he whipped his head back to his throne and made a slow walk back to it.

“Mark my words: I will get my necklace back,” she warned him, moving her loosened cuffs ever so slightly in her hands.

Thorin glanced down and wondered when and how she had made the efforts at removing them, and he looked back up without saying a word.

“I would rather enjoy seeing you attempt such a feat,” Thranduil snickered, still walking towards his throne unknowingly.

“That may be sooner than ye wish...” her voice lilted as she spoke, as she dropped her cuffs to the floor with a clang; the dwarves who had not been aware had dropped their jaws in awe as she miraculously freed herself.

Two elves made for her immediately, and she was grabbed by both arms, she glanced at both of them before taking a quick step back and pulling both her arms to herself quickly. The elves jerked forward from the sudden motion and knocked their helmetless heads together hard, making them stumble and lose their footing, she grabbed the nearest one’s sword from its sheath and approached Thranduil who had turned to witness the commotion from behind him, with a smug look plastered on him.

Once he deemed her close enough he drew out his own sword from his person, but she was evidently speedier as she swung her sword and knocked his from his grasp to the floor, she had managed to latch onto it and spun on her feet before Thranduil could even make a motion to grab for it. She raised both swords to his exposed throat, enjoying the sudden surprise that now covered his features, a definite fear flashing behind the somewhat familiar blue eyes.

“Legolas, _{bring the youngest forward}_ ,” Thranduil choked out slightly, he did as he was told and held his dagger to the youngest dwarf’s naked throat, the poor thing had already whimpered when he had suddenly been pushed forward, and now he shook in his boots as the blade was held so close to his skin.

“Nari for the love of Mahal put the swords down!” a voice practically shrieked, she turned to see a dwarf with neatly braided grey hair beside himself and staring in distress at the young dwarf.

“Ye just couldn’t stand being beaten could ye?” she muttered and threw the weapons to the ground angrily, the two elves from earlier secured her in new cuffs while Thranduil regained his composure and brushed his robes flat; he gazed over her features as if looking for something.

“ _{Devil child}_ ,” he murmured, “Remove that pin from her hair at once, we cannot risk her breaking free again,” he ordered, “ _{And give her the collar as well}_ ,”

She remained still as they placed a heavy metal collar around her throat, it had a small chain which they attached to the cuffs, and she was led back to the dwarves.

“Take them to their cells, I must still speak with the _would-be_ King,” Thranduil instructed.

“Ye’re _petty_ ye know that?” Nari called out as they were about to be taken away.

“Lass, ye’ve seriously got to stop running yer mouth like that,” the balding dwarf muttered disapprovingly.

“Wait.” Thranduil called out, the elves stopped in their tracks, and the Elven King strode forward to stand in front of her. “I’ve had quite enough of your insolence, child,” he grabbed her face with one hand and squeezed her cheeks hard, her eyes widened slightly at the sudden menace he showed, “If _petty_ is what you want, then _petty_ is what you shall have-” he let her face go and suddenly the back of his adorned hand met her cheek with a hard slap, she gasped as the thin skin teared in a line and bleed a little. “May this be a lesson for you,” he hissed, before waving his hand in the air.

She made no sound in response, only glared at the Elven King as he floated away.

The elves led Nari and the rest of the company deep down the kingdom of Mirkwood to their dingy cells, she remained silent for the walk as she looked around at the defeated faces of the dwarves that were being shoved into the barred cells, and felt her own mood deflating.

Her cuffs were promptly removed but her collar remained in place, the chain left dangling in the air wildly, she hadn’t even noticed the dwarf that she was now sharing the cell with; instead she had faced her jailers with a huff as they had shoved her inside much more aggressively than was necessary.

One with chestnut hair bent down to look her over and chuckled smugly, “Our King is correct in saying that the half-breed is short on looks, and perhaps intelligence,” she held onto the bars of the cell and spat in the elf’s face, and he stepped back in surprise at the unexpected assault.

The other elf leaned forward and grabbed the collar of her tunic, “How dare you spit in the face of my-”

Nari grabbed his own collar and pulled him forcefully so that his head banged hard into the thick metal bars of the cell, he cursed multiple different elvish phrases as he stumbled back to his companion, his forehead now reddened from the impact, and the pair promptly left the dwarves alone huffing angrily.

“Are ye alright lass?” a concerned voice called from behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin, “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten ye,” she turned around, noticing the dwarf with the hat that her owl had favoured earlier that day.

“Aye, I’m alright, thank ye,” she nodded and stared up out of their cell and sighed, she touched her neck and her hand jerked away at the unfamiliar cold of the collar that now sat around it.

“I’m sure we can find a way to get that necklace back for ye lass,” he gave her a sympathetic smile and she returned a smaller one.

“What’s yer name?” she asked, leaning against the cell wall and slowly sinking down so that she sat on the floor, he raised a brow and she shrugged. “May as well get comfortable, who knows how long we’ll be here,” he nodded in understanding.

“Bofur, at yer service,” he bowed and raised his hat briefly from his head, before taking his own seat across from her on the floor, and she acknowledged his introduction.

“I cannot believe he took my mother’s necklace, claiming it belonged to him,” she half-groaned, and leaned her head back against the stone wall, closing her eyes briefly.

“Is yer ma still…” he paused, wondering if he should press the subject, fumbling and crossing his legs awkwardly as he thought.

“Alive? Aye she is,” she looked at Bofur and sat upright, crossing her legs and tucking her hands in the space between them and making herself more comfortable.

“And yer da?” he asked, she eyed him for a moment, as if to make certain he was genuine in wanting conversation and then cleared her throat lightly.

“No, he-” she averted her gaze briefly before turning it to him with a saddened smile, “He passed a long time ago, rather nobly really,” she chuckled a bit forcefully, “He was a good dwarf he was,” she stared down at her hands in her lap.

“Ye miss him, don’t ye?” Bofur asked quietly, playing with his fingers absentmindedly, she nodded.

“Ye know, there’s something about ye I can’t put my finger on,” they both frowned and then she shrugged, “I’m not normally one to just open up to the first person to listen, but something about ye makes me believe I can trust ye,” she smiled more openly now, “Perhaps it’s the funny hat and moustache that makes ye so approachable,” she giggled, giving the front of his hat a light flick with her finger.

“Perhaps,” he gave her a cheeky wink, “Ye know, Thorin will probably never admit this to ye, so I may as well be the first to thank ye,” he started and she creased her brow slightly, “For ye know, trying to save us from the capture of the Elves,”

She laughed, “Well, fat good that did ye, didn’t it?” she gestured to their cell and then closed her eyes, briefly rubbing her neck, as best she could with the collar weighing on her shoulders.

“Still, it was mighty good of ye- is that thing hurting ye?” he asked in concern.

“Aye, only a little though- oh right, how daft of me,” she shook her head and reached down under her tunic to her lap, Bofur shifted awkwardly in his seat and tried to avert his gaze in vain, his eyes widened as she pulled out a small dagger.

“Yer just full of surprises aren’t ye lass?” he chuckled in relief and then moved to his hands, crawling forward to her and sitting on his knees next to her, holding his hand out. “Let me give ye a hand, it’s the least I can do for yer favours to us,”

She placed the dagger delicately in his hand and he carefully worked the sharp tip of the blade in the key hole of the collar, after a few scraping sounds he held out his fist in success at the final clicking of the collar, he removed it slowly from her neck and tossed it onto the floor with a clink.

“Thank ye kindly, Bofur,” she smiled, and he settled himself next to her, smiling as well.

“Not a problem lass,” he examined the thin line of dried blood on her cheek, “Is that cut of yers stinging at-”

“Again!” they whipped their attention to the bars as they heard one of their companions yell out, and the loud clunking of bodies against metal could be heard, as they obviously tried to fight their way out. Bofur and Nari glanced at each other a little worriedly before looking out again.

“Leave it!” another called out, louder than the rest, it sounded like the snowy haired dwarf, “There's no way out!” he sounded tired, “This is no Orc dungeon; these are the Halls of the Woodland Realm.” He informed, “No one leaves here, but by the King’s consent.” There were loud grumblings and mutterings as the dwarves settled themselves down for the time being.

After a pregnant pause, another question finally came tumbling from Bofur’s mouth, “Why is it ye came to our aid?” he searched her face for an answer.

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I had heard about Thorin and the company,”

“Aye, I believe ye on that lass,” he agreed.

“Well, ye see, where I live, we’re all considered… outcasts, or as others would prefer, _half-breeds_ ,”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means,” she took a deep breath and then breathed out, “It means our blood is not pure, that it’s _tainted_ ,”

“Tainted how?” he frowned.

“Well… for me, my mother is an elf-maid, I know not from which Elven territory, and my father is a Dwarf from Erebor,” he stared at her as if trying to determine which parts of her was clearly elf or dwarf. “It’s not as simple as that,” she smiled as she shook her head.

“Well I mean, yer ears are clearly Elven,” he noted, staring at them directly, noting the damaged one with the piercing in it.

“Aye, but they are also a little larger than a normal elf’s ears, much like a Dwarf,” she flicked her ears playfully, bobbing her head to the side as she looked at him. “And I’m not nearly as tall as an elf is meant to be, but not nearly as short as I’m meant to be as a dwarrow,”

“Well I do believe ye’re a perfectly reasonable height, it certainly doesn’t hold ye back from fighting so well,”

“Ye’re very kind Bofur,” she smiled, “And very optimistic, I do believe I ended up jailed with one of the perkiest Dwarves in all of Middle Earth,” she laughed, “And one of the best nests for my lovely Screech as well, so perhaps ye should stick around for her, she would appreciate it greatly,” she flicked the flap on the side of his hat teasingly.

“That was right cheeky of her that was, ruffling my hat up like that,” he patted the top of it, fondly remembering the panic he had earlier, though it seemed rather silly in comparison to their current situation.

He thought for a moment and then looked at her, “So where were ye taking us…?”

“Oh, to my home, it’s called Eossimar,”

“I’ve never heard that name before,” Bofur frowned.

“Well, unless ye live there ye don’t know of it, it’s where we undesirables now live ye see,” she looked down briefly, “That tunnel would have lead us to a pathway straight to it, we were almost there had it not been for-”

“Did he offer you a deal?” the reprimanding voice from earlier asked in a hopeful manner and they both stood up eagerly, moving closer to the bars to listen in.

“He did.” Thorin’s deep baritone responded, “I told him he could go _[pour my shit all over his family’s heads!]”_ Bofur’s jaw dropped slightly, he looked to her almost apologetically, and Nari rubbed her hands over her face in defeat.

“Him and all his kin!” Thorin yelled, his voice echoing into the caverns.

“Well, that's that, then. A deal was our only hope.” The other voice muttered.

“Damn that stubborn dwarf,” she muttered and sat back down on the floor again, “I know he probably bears ill-will to Thranduil- but striking a bargain with him wouldn’t have killed him, who knows how long we’ll be stuck here now?”

“Not to sound insensitive but you seemed to bear ill-will to that lad, _Legless_ , was it?” he asked, returning to his seat next to her. “Seems a bit contradictory, if ye ask me,”

She chuckled and corrected him, “ _Legolas_ ,” he shrugged with a wave of the hand, “And that’s due to his being an arse, what he did to me was not right and he knew it,” she paused, “And as for Thorin and Thranduil, he could easily have made the deal so that we could be let out, it’s not as if Thranduil could force him to stick to his deal,”

“Aye, that could be true, but say he did make the deal and we are set free, if Thorin did not follow his end then perhaps Thranduil would send his people to us, and I’m certain Erebor has seen enough bloodshed in its lifetime,”

“I see yer point,” she nodded in agreement, “But I still don’t think it’s wise for Thorin to hold such a grudge, it’s been sixty years since that day, and we could’ve used the extra hands to fight the dragon, if he still lives that is,”

“Aye, that’s true,” he nodded, “Yer a right clever lass, ye know that?” Bofur smiled widely, she returned it.

“It’s a gift and a curse,” she chuckled, then her face became more serious, “Ye know, if we ever do get out of here, I’d still wish for ye all to take shelter in Eossimar, at least ye could lay low for a few days and regather yer strength,”

“Ye’ve a very optimistic spirit, lass, but I’m not quite sure we will get out of this place,” he surveyed their stone-walled cell, and set his eyes on the thick metal bars serving as a door, and the only exit point for them.

“Call it a gut feeling then, but say we do- and hear me out on this,” she raised her hands to stop him from interrupting, “The first thing I’m going to be doing is getting back my necklace, in the meanwhile ye should lead the rest to Eossimar,”

“I thought it was a big secret of sorts that ye were keeping it from everyone, since yer were making it to be so mysterious and all?” he frowned.

“Aye it is, well, it’s as I said earlier, there’s something about ye that I can trust...” she shrugged and he only nodded. “So if ye manage to get out of the main grounds to the back, there is a big river that flows from underneath and leads to an enormous lake. Just opposite that lake is a forest of birch, ye should be able to find a clear path no matter which side ye enter from, and it’ll be a bit of a trek but it’ll eventually lead to a dark tunnel that sinks low into the ground, ye’ll knows it’s one of the entrances when ye see all the creeper vines at the end of the tunnel,”

“Birch forest, pathway, tunnel, creeper vines, got it,” he repeated the important bits, his knees now sitting near his chest with his hands resting on them, his attention solely on her.

“Now, this part might sound a bit strange, but once ye enter the tunnel, ye need to touch the wall,” she said and he frowned, “It’ll feel odd at first but ye’ll just have to get over that, then ye need to say these words: _{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},_ ”

He stared at her for some time before opening his mouth, “I’m sorry, could ye repeat that?”

“ _{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here}_ ,” she reiterated slowly, he focused on the way her mouth moved as the words tumbled from her mouth.

“ _{Derive all from harm and fear, only God may enter here},_ ” He recited the words and Nari bit her lip, she leaned forward and held his face in one hand.

“Yer meant to open yer mouth a bit more,” his attention wandered to her eyes, and found himself lost in teal oceans surrounded by dark pools of honey, “ _{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},_ ” she said again and waited for him to speak, he blinked several times before realising she had already repeated the words.

He cleared his throat harshly, _“{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here?}”_ he raised a brow and then she gave him an approving smile, releasing his face, which he swore was turning red as he swallowed.

“Now ye’ve got it, so once ye’ve said that, the vines should pull away and open up to the village, then ye can simply walk in and ye’ll be safe, if anyone there asks who sent ye, ye can just tell them it was Nari and they should be more than happy to help ye out,”

He nodded, “It’s mighty kind of ye to be helping us out like this, Nari,”

“Of course, yer kin after all, at least half anyway,” she gave a side smile with a shrug, rubbing the back of her neck somewhat sheepishly.

“Ye’ve a good heart lass,” he patted her leg, but abruptly turned his attention away as a beam of sunlight entered from an unknown source; it hit his face and made him glow slightly in the darkness of the cell. 

He leaned back against the wall, melancholic suddenly, “I’ll wager the sun is on the rise, must be nearly dawn.” He looked over to her and forced a smile.

“We're never gonna reach the mountain, are we?” a softer despondent voice spoke out from another cell.

“Not stuck in here, you’re not,” an unfamiliar voice spoke up with a jangling of keys, making Bofur swiftly jump to his feet and grab the bars of the cell, Nari followed him in curiosity and stood at his side.

“Bilbo!” a voice called out.

“What?” another called in disbelief.

“Shh! There are guards nearby!” he reprimanded in a loud whisper, relieved laughter echoed in the cavern and soon excited voices were speaking out, finally their own door was opened and Bofur gently encouraged her forward.

“Close the doors, it’ll buy us more time,”

“All right, Nori,”

“Up the stairs.”

“You first-”

“Ori-”

“Not that way, down here. Follow me,” Bilbo waved his hand for them to follow.

The dwarves frowned from the stairs that they had just begun climbing, but seeing as how Bilbo had found his way to them they reckoned he knew what he was doing and decided it was best to follow him. 

She watched as the group started descending deeper into the poorly lit caverns and made no move to follow them, Bofur turned around in search of her and walked back to her quickly with a frown on his face.

“This is where we part ways dear Bofur, my necklace will not retrieve itself,” she patted his shoulder roughly and he nodded his head in understanding, but something still nagged inside him.

“What if ye run into that _Legolas_ fella?”

“Then I’ll just kick his arse again, won’t I?” she gave him a wicked grin and he returned it, she turned and headed for the stairs, stepping impossibly light on her feet as she did.

“And where is she going? Isn’t she meant to lead us to this ‘safe place’ of hers?” one of the dwarves asked.

“Go,” another spoke.

“Easy, now,”

“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” Bofur said to him, hoping that there would be no argument; the dwarf turned around with a grunt and continued to tail the group. Bofur took one last look behind him to see her disappear from sight. “Good luck lass,” he whispered and followed the group.


	4. Chapter 3

Nari walked through what felt like another endless passage in the dim moonlight, passing Thranduil’s private sitting room where the King himself was reclined on a chaise longue, seemingly drowning in thought. She bit her tongue to stop herself from snickering, and had she been feeling more reckless she would have taken the risk at threatening him with the small dagger she still had on her, just to see the surprise on his pompous face.

She moved along and found herself drawn to a nearby room, it had large double doors that were adorned significantly, and she stepped forward mindfully, looking to her sides to make sure nobody else was there. She turned the handles and pushed the doors open softly, the room was pitch black making it nearly impossible to see into, and even with her good eyes she could barely make out anything specific in the moonlight.

That was until her gaze fell onto her crystal necklace in the very centre, the remaining moonlight of the passing night casting from a high window down onto the pedestal it was presented on, making it gleam a bright white around it in a small area. She tiptoed forward, relieved that she had found it, but somewhat feeling as if she was intruding somewhere she did not belong. 

When she was close enough she reached out and picked up the necklace carefully, as if worried it would disappear from her sight if she moved too quickly, and then returned it to its rightful place around her neck.

The pedestal could barely be made out without the crystal resting on it, the room being made completely dark now, and then she stepped back and hurriedly ran out the room, making sure to step lightly so as not to alert any potential guards. She closed the doors after herself to buy extra time in case someone happened upon the room and discovered the crystal to be missing. She found herself heading away from the heart of the kingdom towards a ruckus that was happening near the back.

“Of course,” she whispered to herself as she found a bunch of elves talking loudly and sipping wine, “It must be _Mereth e-nGilith_ , it’s no wonder there’s nobody about, they’re all plastered,” she chuckled and made the brave decision of simply walking amongst them in the open, making sure she walked at the right pace so as not to arouse suspicion, before slipping through an unattended gate that lead to the back of Mirkwood. “I hope the lads are alright,” she muttered.

A horn sounded out and she pricked her head in the direction at the sudden commotion, the sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains and lightened the surrounding area. She ran as fast as she could, hoping that she was headed in the right direction.

Soon enough she heard the rippling water and knew that the dwarves must be close by, as there was shouting amidst the chaos, she had just reached them when she saw Kíli roll off of the elf gate of the river into one of the barrels down below. He and the rest of the company were swept away with the current, leaving the elves that had come to capture them to fight off the orcs that had appeared from the bushes. However, more joined their ranks on the command of the leading orc, and the elven ranks started to diminish against the fierce orcs as some of them flanked back to their home.

Legolas and his companion Tauriel made their way after the dwarves, taking the orcs down swiftly with arrow after arrow, a few of their kin following after them and taking no notice of Nari. She trailed not far behind them, taking down a handful of the orcs on her way with a quick stab of her faithful dagger.

Legolas was up to his old tricks playing the show-off with his skills of his bow, taking unnecessary and risky moves to make his kills, such as using the dwarves’ heads to balance while shooting down some of the orcs, before proceeding to the side lines and using a larger orc as a sled down the rocky grounds, and once again returning to the heads of the dwarves and using them as stepping stones to get to the opposite side of the river.

A large orc came up behind him suddenly, wielding a large sword and raised it to make a killing blow, and before Nari could think of how to respond, a weapon came flying from the river just down below, killing it instantly. She searched the river and spotted Thorin yelling out triumphantly at their escape from the elves, and then sought out through the dwarves for one in particular, she breathed a sigh of relief when she caught a glimpse of the familiar hat bobbing in one of the barrels.

She turned to Legolas again to see an orc on the approach with a loaded bow, though as the shot was fired another arrow from the distance knocked it from its course and Tauriel made an appearance, grabbing the fiend and holding a blade to his throat.

Legolas turned around, “Tauriel! _{Wait! This one we keep alive}_ ,” he said and her brow creased but she did as she was asked, the orc leader cried something out and his party quickly disappeared.

Legolas looked to the dwarves; he turned around and made to head back towards Mirkwood while she remained still for a moment, worry clearly showing in her eyes. Nari moved on, knowing that the orcs could catch up quickly to the company if they so wished.

She finally caught sight of the dwarves as they bobbed in their barrels towards the lake ahead, so she slowed her pace to match theirs and proceeded gradually to the flat area of land that led into the water. There seemed to be no orcs in sight, for the time being.

“Anything behind us?” Thorin called out, his barrel floating just ahead of the company.

“Not that I can see,” one of the dwarves responded.

“I think we’ve outrun the Orcs,” Bofur said hopefully.

“Not for long. We’ve lost the current,” Thorin stated as he observed the stillness of the lake.

“Bombur’s half drowned!” one of the dwarves raised his voice in concern.

“Make for the shore!” Thorin ordered, leaning forward from the barrel and paddling towards the land.

“Aye,” the concerned dwarf agreed.

“Come on, let’s go!” Thorin called out.

“Glóin, help me, my brother,” an older dwarf yelled.

“Come on, lift yourself.” The balding dwarf grunted as he lifted his much smaller companion to his feet.

“Come on!”

“Come on, ye big lump, ye!” Bofur grumbled as he tugged at the largest dwarf with ginger hair who struggled in his barrel, once he was out the others headed to the rocks to rest for a brief moment.

Kíli had limped on and thrown himself onto a large flattened rock , holding his clearly injured leg and wincing in pain, he made a rag from a torn piece of his clothing and pressed it firmly onto the bleeding wound. And Nari had approached from behind the group and remained unnoticed by them.

“I’m fine- it’s nothing,” Kíli shook off Bofur’s concerned stare, the dwarf stood up and waved the honey haired dwarf over and he immediately came over to Kíli’s side.

“On your feet,” Thorin trudged behind them, looking around at the dishevelled company.

“Kíli’s wounded. His leg needs binding,” the young dwarf looked to Thorin with pleading eyes.

“There’s an Orc pack on our tail,” Thorin responded irritably, “We keep moving,”

“To where?” the dwarf with snowy hair asked.

“To the mountain, we’re so close,” Bilbo answered, as if the dwarf had been asking a daft question.

“A lake lies between us, and that mountain,” he said matter-of-factly, “We have no way to cross it.”

“So then we go around,” Bilbo suggested throwing his hands in the air.

“The Orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight,” the bald dwarf answered gruffly, “We’ve no weapons to defend ourselves.”

“Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes,” Thorin’s mouth twitched in annoyance and he walked away from them.

“Need a hand, lads?” Nari spoke up and made them all jump, the youngest dwarf who had been draining his boot of water promptly dropped it back into the water, and Bofur grinned at her.

“Nari, ye made it back!” he said cheerfully, “Do ye happen to know how to bind this properly?” he asked, gesturing to Kíli’s leg, she stepped closer and crouched down next to Kíli, and examined the wound closely.

“Aye, I do,” she nodded seriously, then she grabbed at Kíli’s torn tunic and ripped more of the material off, he opened his mouth to argue but she stopped him, “Do ye wish to bleed out?” he shook his head, “Thought not. Bofur, hand me a thick branch would ye?” she asked, his face puzzled but he gathered the item regardless and handed it to her.

She wrapped the tunic just above the wound tightly, and then she tied one knot before placing the stick between the material and tied a second knot, taking the stick in her hands and turning it slowly. Kíli sucked in a deep breath and his companion took his hand in his own and held it tightly.

She tied the second knot once she was happy with the tightness, “Now don’t cry, ye’ll be thanking me later,” she patted his shoulder and stood up, “Whose arrow hit ye? This is a right nasty wound ye’ve got,”

“One of the orcs,” he shrugged and looked up at her, “Does it matter?”

“One of the- one of the orcs?” she asked, shaking her head and rubbing her palm across her face, “And ye say it so calmly too,” she looked up to the sky as if questioning a deity.

“What exactly is wrong with orc arrows?” Bilbo asked, and then his face turned to surprise upon laying his eyes on Nari, not having seen her earlier.

“What’s wrong with orc arrows, Master Bilbo,” she faced him but before he could ask she continued, “Is that they are life-threatening, and if left untreated, will cause death within one or two days,” she glanced at Kíli and then to Bofur, “For now, I’m hoping that the tourniquet will stop the poison flowing to the rest of his body, until ye reach Eossimar at least,”

“What of the elves?” Kíli asked, his concern sparkling his eyes.

“The elves caught one of the orcs and took it with them back to Mirkwood to-”

“Nari, I see you’ve returned,” Thorin’s voice spoke suddenly behind them, “And where had you disappeared to so conveniently, may I ask?”

“Retrieving this,” she answered with a straight face, she raised the crystal from around her neck to show him and he raised his brows, “I should hope that pompous arse learned his lesson, if he ever tries to take something from me again I’ll be pounding his smug face right in,” her comment caused Thorin to smirk, something the company had yet to see in months.

“You’ve got spirit lass,” he patted her shoulder before letting his hand fall to his side once again, “And I’m truly sorry for doubting you earlier-”

“Ye’re forgiven Thorin,” she waved her hand, “I do understand yer grief with the elves, I do, but ye have to understand that not all elves are like Thranduil,”

He nodded seriously, looking down to Kíli’s leg, “The bind looks good,” he sounded impressed. “And I would like for us to rest despite what you all believe, but we must keep moving, Master Baggins is correct, we are so close to the mountain now-”

A sudden roaring sounded from the distance, making all the dwarves look back in fear, and the dwarf with the balding head pointed a finger at Nari angrily.

“You, you’ve led the orcs straight to us!”

“Dwalin, brother, please let’s not fetch for such conclusions,” the older dwarf spoke softer than Dwalin and patted his shoulder.

“And for the record, I did no such thing, orcs are bred to lust over _dwarf blood_ … they must be smelling Kíli over a mile away,” she responded, Thorin and Kíli’s companion both turned to look at him, the dwarf averted his gaze and stared at the ground ashamed.

“She’s right Dwalin,” the other dwarf nodded, making him scoff slightly.

“Now, one of ye is going to have to support him since he’s been weakened and will slow ye down,” she tilted her head towards Kíli, “I’ll be distracting the orcs,” she pointed to herself, “And Bofur, ye’ll have to lead the way, if ye remember what I told ye?” she raised a brow at him.

“Aye, I do,” he nodded seriously.

“Good, now go on before the orcs come and turn ye to fodder, there’s only so many I can fend off by myself, and thanks to those damned elves I’m lacking weapons to aid me,” she briefly clenched her fist, before she turned around and sprinted in the direction of the roaring without another word, leaving the dwarves without another option.

“Fíli, take to your brother’s side,” Thorin ordered, turning to the pair, the dwarf next to Kíli took his arm and moved it over his shoulder before standing and nodded to him, “Come on, let’s go everyone!” he waited a moment as the others scrambled to their feet and collected themselves, “Bofur, lead the way,” he nodded surely to him.

“Right,” Bofur cleared his throat and looked to the lake while stepping forward uncertainly, he cracked a twig under his boot, and as if something clicked in his mind his head shot up and he searched behind him to the forest. “Birch,” he recognised the trees, “Birch!” he pointed eagerly, much to the confusion of the others.

“Aye Bofur, it’s birch, and what of it?” Dwalin asked.

“We’re going for a little hike lads,” Bofur fixed his hat and promptly began to march on towards the forest in determination; the other dwarves looked to each other quizzically before following him.

Nari’s heart was thumping loudly in her chest as she rapidly approached the orcs, she readied herself with her trustworthy dagger in hand, praying that Bofur would manage to find the village and get everyone there safely.

She was roughly halfway back to where she had last seen the orcs when she passed by something that caught her attention, she paused briefly and cautiously edged closer to the heap. She instantly recognised the figure as one of the elves from Mirkwood from the prior day, now lying lifeless on the forest floor.

She noted the bow and arrow that the elf still clung to and spoke softly as she crouched closer to it, “I’m sorry ye had to lose yer life this way,” she leaned forward and carefully closed the elf’s eyelids before placing her hand over his unbreathing heart, _“{May yer spirit have safe passage to the heavens},_ ”

Nari took the sling of arrows and the bow from the elf before standing up, “And um,” she cleared her throat awkwardly, “I’ll be taking these seeing how they’re of no use to ye now,” she nodded briefly and continued her way to the orcs.

After running a bit further she found coverage behind some bushes, observing the set up before her, the group of orcs had slowed to a halt, seemingly unable to figure out their bearings. She was relieved to know that leading the dwarves away was giving them a head start, at least for the time being.

Nari decisively loaded an arrow into her bow, aiming for the head of an orc that was seated on a warg. Their ranks had lessened considerably thanks to the elves but the number was still greater than what she had faced alone before.

She took a deep breath before pulling back and shooting her arrow, quickly reloading and shooting the warg beneath it to kill it as well; the orcs roared in outrage at the sudden ambush and their leader called for retaliation. She managed to shoot another two of the orcs down before they discovered her hideout, and then she jumped to her feet bolting as fast as she could, knowing she had the advantage of agility on her side.

“How much farther Bofur?” one of the dwarves groaned irritably.

“Aye, we’ve been following this ruddy path for ages now!” another agreed.

“Now lads, not much farther, they say good things come to those who wait, so bear with me will ye?” Bofur waved his hand in the air irritably to brush off their remarks, he muttered more quietly to himself, “I wish this tunnel would show itself already- aha!” he bounded ahead of the group to see the pathway had split and lead off into a tunnel sinking almost entirely below the surface, something you’d easily miss if you weren’t searching for it.

“What is it?”

“Has he found it?”

“Aye lads, right this way!” he stood next to the sloping pathway and encouraged the others to walk down into it, a fierce roaring not too far away startled them, “Come on; get going the lot of ye!” the dwarves scurried down into the dark tunnel without argument, with Bofur following behind last to ensure everyone was accounted for.

“What next?”

“We’re trapped!”

“No we’re not, trust me,” Bofur pushed his way through the group to reach what he assumed was the entrance, as expected it was a thick wall of creeper vines forming a barrier, he slowly reached his hand out to it and placed it gently onto the greenery.

“What’s he doing now?” one whispered.

“An enchantment I suppose?” another answered, just as confused.

“Will ye keep quiet?” Bofur half-yelled irritably, “I’m trying to remember what I’m supposed to say,” he frowned and moved his jaw up and down without letting out a sound to mimic the movement. “Alright, I think it was, uh… _{Derive all from harm and fear, only God may enter here},_ ” He waited with baited breath.

Nothing.

“Was something meant to happen lad?” Balin asked.

He cleared his throat and spoke louder, _“{Derive all harm and fear, only God may enter here,}”_ he said more urgently as the roaring grew louder and some of the dwarves started muttering out prayers in Khuzdul. _“{Drive all harm and fear, only good may enter?!}”_

A shriek drove his attention away as two orcs entered the tunnel and charged directly towards the dwarves, the lust for their blood evident in their faces, Bofur’s hand fell to his side and his mind blanked of everything he had been told as he watched in horror as an orc raise its weapon to one of his companions.

It yelled out as an arrow pushed through its chest, stopping its actions as it collapsed to the ground dead; its comrade turned to assault their attacker but was struck in the head with a bow before being stabbed in its neck by a dagger and also fell to the ground with a solid slump.

“Oh for Mahal's sake- Bofur, I explained it perfectly, _move_ ,” she quickly shoved her way through the dwarves and placed her hand against the creeper vines, she let the phrase flow off her tongue effortlessly, “ _{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},_ ”

The vines instantly retracted to the sides and revealed a village bustling with activity; Nari stepped to the side to allow the dwarves to enter first. A snarl caught her attention at the top of the tunnel as another orc made its way after the company, she grabbed the last few dwarves that had been slower than the rest and shoved them towards the village, following them immediately but turning to watch the orc as it charged forward.

“She’s raving mad she is!” the dwarf with short grey hair shrilled.

_“Nari, move!”_

As the orc made its first step into the village it was stopped mid-step, it stared down in confusion as vines began to curl around its arms and legs, pulling it back from the village and into itself, wrapping more and more until it was unable to move.

“Shouldn’t you do something?”

“Oh there’s no need,” she glanced back at them eagerly, “Ye’ve yet to see anything from our home,” The vines began to envelop the rest of the orc and the fearful grunting ceased as it disappeared entirely from sight. “See? Taken care of,” she grinned.

One of the older dwarfs started with wide eyes and a slackened jaw, “I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life!”

“That’s… incredible,” Bilbo walked to her side, “How on Middle Earth-?”

“This part of the forest has been protected for centuries by an ancient magic, it keeps out evil beings such as the orcs and creatures like them,” she explained and gave the wall a soft brush with her hand. “Most of Middle-Earth believe that magic only lies with Wizards, but they forget that life originated from nature since the beginning of time,” she turned to face the company.

A few villagers gathered around to see what the sudden intrusion was, others had already walked away in disinterest, the dwarves looked around them to see that their faces looked familiar and yet unfamiliar all at the same time.

“So this is Eossimar,” Bofur gawked at the scenery.

The grass was a luscious green, and despite having just walked through a canopy of forest and underground through a tunnel, there was nothing save for a clear blue sky hanging over the village. Stalls set up as a marketplace stood not too far off from where they were, along with dozens of small dwellings, children were running around enjoying the good weather and company of playmates.

A voice yelled from their right, and before Bilbo could register what was going on he was pushed aside and fell to the ground, he huffed in indignation.

“Mae!” she scooped the young girl in her arm as she had practically leaped into her, “Ye’ve all but knocked poor Master Bilbo love!”

“Master Bilbo?” she gasped and jumped down immediately, she bent over and held her hand out to the hobbit, and he took it to not be impolite believing she would not be much help in lifting him and nearly yelped when she brought him to his feet with ease. “It really is him!”

“Aye Mae, where are yer brothers?” Nari asked, looking around.

“He’s a bit shorter than I expected,” she eyed Bilbo and he looked slightly offended by her remark, the top of her head reached just below his shoulders.

“I think you’ll find I’m the appropriate height for a hobbit, actually you’ll find I’m taller than the-”

“Auntie!” Lumlin jogged up to the group, followed at the heel by his brother Lorin. “Who are-?”

“No way! This must be Thorin Oakenshield and his Company!” Lorin gasped.

“Where’s yer Uncle Callon?” Nari asked them with a frown.

“I sent him home,” Lúthrien said angrily, making Nari freeze, “Why is it so hard for you to do one little thing for me?” the company stared at the tall elf-maid and back to Nari in confusion.

“Listen Lúthrien, I can explain-” she stepped forward with lowered hands but her sister raised hers.

“Let me see, you travelled to Mirkwood no doubt, by yourself, venturing off in hopes of an adventure because apparently you find life inside the safe walls of the village to be dull and boring,” Lúthrien crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side.

“Aye, I might’ve done but-” she raised a finger to try and stop her sister from ranting further, but was cut short.

“And then, you must have encountered the infamous Elf Prince Legolas and had a fight of sorts with him, seeing as how you cannot bring yourself to stop that behaviour,”

“Aye, and he deserves it too, but listen-” she spoke sheepishly now and rubbed the back of her head.

“And now, you’ve returned with new stories to tell the children, all the while having neglected the simple task of watching them, that was a day ago I will remind you… While I do your duties here, without complaint I might add, for the village, if you remember it at all-”

“Aye- but just listen will ya?” Nari pleaded, Lúthrien seemed unimpressed, her jaw seeming to lock in place, but nodding her head. “I had to get Thorin Oakenshield and his company from Mirkwood before the spiders got to them,” the company watched as the awkward interaction continued, feeling very out of place.

“Again with Thorin Oakenshield and his company? You’ve been telling these stories so long to my children that you’re actually starting to believe them yourself-”

“ _Amal_ ,” Maethríen tugged at her mother’s dress, she looked down at the girl clearly annoyed.

“Maethríen, not now,” she looked back to her sister, ready to start arguing once again, when her dress was tugged once more by her daughter.

“But _amal_ , the dwarves are real!”

 _“Amal, look,”_ Lumlin pointed to the group and she opened her mouth to say something but fell short.

“Impossible,” she whispered in shock. “Children, I want you to go home please.” They were about to argue when she spoke again, _“Now.”_ She glanced at her children briefly before returning her narrow gaze to her sister.

Nari looked at her sister feeling triumphant. “I hope ye feel as silly as ye look now, ye really thought I’ve been telling the children fairy tales this whole time-”

“Yes and I have good reason to! You’ve always been so irresponsible Nari, you don’t seem to think or care about the village, you abandon simple tasks for reckless and dangerous adventures- and you’re just proving how immature you are by rolling your eyes at me right now!”

“Oh I’m immature am I? Ye’ve always been jealous of the fact that _adad_ treated me differently than you, and that’s what it’s always been about for ye!” she pointed her hand angrily.

“This is not about _atar_ , it’s about you!” the company jumped at the sudden thunderclap just overhead, not having noticed the dark clouds that had formed above them.

“Oh! If ye weren’t such a girl I’d-”

“You’d what? Fight me? It doesn’t solve your problems to punch everything that comes your way Nari-” she stomped forward with a balled fist towards her sister.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough darling,” a tall man grabbed Lúthrien by her shoulders and gently pulled her to him, the clouds vanished just as quickly as they had come and the dwarves frowned in confusion.

“We heard the yelling, is everything alright?” another tall man asked, though his features appeared to be more dwarven.

“Aye,” Nari nodded and cleared her throat, suddenly remembering the present company that had been standing there for some time, and knocked her boot into the other awkwardly, “Apologies that ye had to witness that,”

“Yes,” Lúthrien nodded, having calmed down a bit, “It wasn’t good of me to lose my temper like that,” she cleared her throat as well.

“I’d like ye to meet my family...” she gestured to Lúthrien, “This is my sister Lúthrien, the man behind her is her husband, Nikolas,” he gave a small wave of his hand.

The tall dwarf next to Nari bowed, “I’m Callon, at yer service,”

“And this beanpole of a dwarf is my _little_ brother,” she stood on her toes to ruffle his hair as best as she could, he chuckled and swatted her hand away.

“Nari, we’ll talk later about this,” Lúthrien nodded to them all, Nikolas took a hand in hers and they walked off in the direction the children had earlier.

Nari rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, “Always for the dramatic,”

“Ye have yer moments too,” Callon nudged her side, making her shake her head with a smile.

“Right, I’m sure yer wanting me to uphold my promises and I’m not one to back out from those,” she walked through the dwarves and nodded her head, “Come along,”

“Where are we going now?”

“To the baths, then I’ll bring ye some new clothing,” she paused, “Unless ye wish to wear rags for the rest of yer journey?”

“Oh I could use a hot bath,” one of the dwarves sighed dreamily.

“Trust me, all of ye could do with one,” she chuckled.

Nari continued on towards a corner of the village, it was a large wooden building that appeared to have steam rising from its chimney; it was fairly secluded in comparison to the other areas they could see. A familiar set of footsteps approached her side and she looked up to see her brother striding next to her.

“Nari, what’s going on?” he whispered.

“It’s nothing really, I’ll explain later to ye,” they both nodded in agreement, “But I’ll need you to help them with the baths if I need ye,”

“You seem to be able to do as you please round these parts,” Thorin asked, though it seemed to be more of a statement.

“Aye, and for good reason,” she responded honestly.

“Wonder what that means?” Bilbo whispered to Bofur, he shrugged his shoulders and continued to take in the surroundings with a smile, the charm of the village pleased him.

“Nari, about your ear-” Kíli asked, his curiosity getting the best of him, Nari glanced at him to see Fíli elbowing him in the side. “Ow! What? It’s just a question-”

She touched her ear without realising and looked over her shoulder again, “I’ll tell ye over a pint of ale later, first though, ye need to leave yer clothes,”

“Pardon me?” Kíli stopped dead and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Well how else am I to get ye fitting clothing?” she asked, the company all looked at each other and to her, apparently embarrassed that they must undress in front of a dwarrow.

“You don’t mean for us to remove our clothing in front of you?” Bilbo’s cheeks flushed at the idea.

She laughed, making them all look around in confusion, “Ye think I’d do that?”

Her brother cleared his throat, “What Nari means is that the springs can only fit a number of ye at a time, those who are bathing will need to leave their clothing with the others,”

“We’ll take the clothing and exchange them for new pieces,” Nari added.

“What a relief!” one of the dwarfs chuckled nervously, the others nodded and muttered in agreement, and the siblings chuckled lightly with each other.

“When ye go inside to the left, ye’ll find the springs for bathing, and to the right is a steam room mainly used for sweating out a tough day,” Callon explained.

“We’ll leave ye to decide who’s going first, we just need to make sure the clothing we get will be suited for the dwarf intended to receive it,” the company nodded and huddled together for quick discussion.

Soon enough the dwarves had divided into their groups, the first group went in to see if the others would find the bath worth it, and Dwalin and Fíli went in after some time had passed to collect the clothing and handed it over to Nari and Callon.

After identifying the clothing’s owners, her brother made motion to the centre of the village and came back a while later with recently made clothing, he told the men to pass the message along that they could get new shoes if needed soon after as they would be more difficult to obtain.

Nari waited patiently as her brother ventured off, leaning against the wall of the building, while the other dwarves tapped their feet as they began to feel restless. Clearly the desire for a hot bath was something they had come to miss in the near year that they had been travelling across the lands. Her brother returned with towels for them to dry off with once they left the baths.

Eventually the first group came out and the second group made their way inside, they followed the same proceedings as the others had before them, passing their clothes over and cleaning themselves as well as they could in their time.

“I would just like to thank you,” Bilbo approached the siblings with a grateful smile and damp hair, “I’ve missed a lovely hot bath, it does wonders to alleviate one’s mood,”

“Of course, ye our guests, and I could tell ye really needed it,” Nari smiled at the hobbit.

“We truly did,” he nodded and let out a happy sigh, wandering off to the rest of the group again.

Dwalin rounded the exit of the springs and addressed everyone, “Lads, we’ve a bit of a problem on our hands, Bombur’s gotten himself stuck-”

“Stuck?” Callon stepped forward as did Bofur, “How?”

“He’s a _big_ dwarf,” Bofur shook his head, as if something similar to this had happened before.

“Aye,” Dwalin nodded, “And Kíli and Fíli have yet to actually bathe,”

“I’ll give ye a hand,” Callon walked inside without hesitation, Dwalin followed after him quickly.

Bofur was about to go inside but Nari lifted her hand to stop him, “It’s crowded as is, my brother will get him out soon enough, don’t ye worry,” she assured him, he nodded and stepped back to stand with the remainder of the group that hadn’t bathed yet.

“There he is!” Bofur gave a loud laugh and gave the large dwarf a hug and heavy pat on the back, “Ye had me worried there,”

The dwarf bellowed back and smacked Bofur on the back so hard he nearly fell forward, “Ya right,”

“How is Kíli holding up?” Thorin asked Dwalin in concern.

“He seems to be fine, still a bit sore by the looks of it,” he patted Thorin’s shoulder to reassure him, “But Callon said he’ll give Fíli an extra hand, that lad is stronger than he looks to be,”


	5. Chapter 4

Callon’s clothing was piled in a corner of the room, long forgotten during Bombur’s rescue. He had already asked Fíli to remove Kíli’s clothing along with the bind, so that it wouldn’t need to be removed in the water, and they complied. He jumped into the spring below, raising his hands above his head, as Fíli lowered his brother down slowly to him, he held the dwarf under his arms and kept a firm hold on him.

“Now grab his legs so we don’t strain them, I’ll step back and he can be lowered in on his own terms,” Callon instructed, Fíli followed his orders without argument, “Easy now, good.” Kíli huffed and puffed anxiously during the process, “Relax,”

“You expect me to relax when a strange man holds me from behind while I’m naked, and he’s almost naked as well?” Kíli quipped.

“Kee, he’s trying to help,” Fíli looked at his brother with a serious face.

Kíli relaxed a bit and gradually went from floating on his backside to standing upright, the water taking any pressure on his leg off of him and providing some relief.

“Besides, we’re all the same here, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Callon added.

“Right,” Fíli nodded, resting his hands on his hips.

“So come on Fee, the water’s lovely,” Kíli smirked.

A young lady villager made her way to the group with a determined step, catching the eyes of the company, one of the dwarves reckoned she had passed by earlier worriedly compared to the relief she seemed to express now.

“Lady Nari!” she exhaled, “I’ve been looking for you all over-”

“Please Elva, I’ve told ye not to call me by that,” Nari rested her hands on her shoulders and leaned in, speaking quietly, “What is it?”

Both Thorin and Bofur were intrigued to hear the conversation, especially in the way that Nari had been addressed, and tried to listen in without appearing to be, which was proving difficult given the distance between them and the softness in which they spoke.

The rest of the group was engaged in conversation with their other members, and some had not even noticed the dwarrow passing through them.

“You may not wish to hear this, but it’s Cáleb,”

“Really? I thought I told him time and time again that I’m not having it-”

“You did,” she glanced at the dwarves and back to Nari, _“{But he wishes to see you tomorrow at noon, the usual place},”_ Elva informed her.

“Alright, tell him I’ll meet him,” Nari said, she glanced over the elf’s shoulder and saw the two watching and quickly averting their gazes, she spoke in Elven to her, _“{But tell him that it will be the last time that he can see me, the very last,}”_

“Yes Nari,” Elva agreed and quickly ran off, leaving Thorin and Bofur in a complete state of confusion.

“May I ask what that was concerning?” Thorin inquired.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Nari responded with a shrug, “Nothing concerning the company anyway,”

“I see,” Thorin looked at her as if he wanted to say something more, but then dropped the matter.

“Pardon?” Fíli’s eyes widened.

“If you agree that there’s nothing to be ashamed of, then come on in,” Kíli grinned wickedly, not that Callon could see.

“Ye are here to bathe, are ye not?” Callon asked, frowning.

“Join us brother,” Kíli waved his hand.

“I can leave, if that’s what’s bothering ye-” he made to move out the spring.

“No don’t leave, of course it won’t bother us,” Kíli raised his hand and blew the idea away, “Besides Fíli will need help in getting me out again, won’t he?” he gave his brother another devilish grin.

“Alright Kíli, you’ve made your point,” Fíli sighed at his brother.

Fíli removed his boots, followed in succession by the rest of his clothing; Kíli tried and failed to hold back his chuckles as he watched his brother stumble nervously as he did so, all the while Callon decided to have a bath himself and was paying no attention to either of them. He went so far as to dunk his whole head under the water and had popped back to the surface just as Fíli leaped into the water, making an enormous splash that hit the pair as he did so.

They all bathed separately and made no conversation throughout their time, and then they proceeded to help Kíli from the water in the same manner in which they had got him in. The brothers pat themselves dry and changed into fresh clothes they hadn’t seen being placed down, while Callon simply put on his clothes in the corner of the room.

Fíli gave his best attempts to avoid staring at Callon while they waited for him, even going as far as staring at the ceiling for a brief moment, however, something about the dwarf was drawing his attention. 

His body appeared lithe, yet muscular, being as tall as the Elf Prince Legolas they had encountered, but his overall appearance was more dwarvish. His ears were large and round and he had much more hair on just his torso than the elves had on their heads he had thought.

Callon looked up and caught Fíli’s warm gaze, but said nothing as he finished the last of the buttons on the coat he pulled on, “Kíli, do ye think ye can walk?”

“Aye, that much I can do, thank you,” he nodded, Callon returned the gesture and walked out of the building, Kíli glanced at his brother who was now pink in his face. “I think the steam from the springs is getting to you brother,”

“Aye, let’s go,” Fíli agreed, a little too quickly much to Kíli’s amusement, and they walked out.

“Took ye long enough in there,” Nari commented, “Right, the last of ye should get going.” She looked to the others who wordlessly made their way into the building, “Did ye take a bath as well?” she looked at her brother in confusion.

“Aye, I was in the water so I took the opportunity,” Callon shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes at the sight of his hair, “Sit,”

“Why?”

“Yer braiding’s come loose, I want to fix it, now sit.” She instructed, and he sat on a nearby rock, she quickly loosened his braids from his head, combing through his wet hair tenderly with her fingers.

Bofur looked on at the unexpected affectionate moment, and found that he was being shoved from behind, he turned in surprise and quickly started walking as his eyes met Thorin’s intense gaze.

“I take it that ye enjoyed the view?” she asked absentmindedly, untangling a small knot that had formed in his hair, and carefully placing any beads that came free next to him on the rock.

“Nari, mind what ye say,” Callon turned to meet her eyes with a scowl, though his cheeks had flushed slightly.

“Fine,” she sighed, “ _{But I think the golden haired dwarf has eyes for you},_ ”

“ _{I have my doubts, he stared at me while I put on my clothes; he must think little of me},_ ”

“ _{Don’t speak to soon brother, here he comes},_ ”

Fíli approached the pair and cleared his throat nervously, “I just wanted to thank you for your help with my brother,”

“It wasn’t any trouble,” Callon gave him a smile, “I’d help ye out anytime,”

“Right,” he rocked on his heels and nodded, “Well, I’ll be getting back to my brother then,” Fíli bit his lip and quickly turned on his heel, walking back to his brother hurriedly.

“{ _I may not have known him long, but he doesn’t seem one to get shy fast, I do believe he’s smitten with you brother},_ ” she grinned as she finished forming one of the braids. “This is looking better already,” she grabbed another part of his hair and started plaiting it together.

“Are ye braiding my hair up?” he asked in alarm.

“Aye, ye have such a handsome face; ye need to stop hiding it with this wild hair,” she hummed happily as she managed to quickly finish off the braid, “And don’t dare argue with me, _{any man of any creed, or race, would be lucky to have you as a husband},_ ”

“Alright,” he sighed, “I do appreciate ye braiding my hair in the meanwhile,”

She finished off the braids and clipped in all the beads, “Perfect.” She patted his face, “Smile brother.” He gave her a small smile as he stood up, “We’ll work on that,” she grinned and gave him a quick hug which he returned.

The last of them returned from their bath and Nari and Callon led the group on towards the mess hall, not far off from where they were.

“Where are you taking us now?” Thorin queried, he glanced back at the company to make sure everyone was accounted for, and found that Bofur had jogged up behind them, and he shook his head at the dwarf receiving a sheepish rub of the neck in return.

“To the mess hall, for supper,” Nari answered.

“I think it’ll be a feast tonight, _{among other things that is}_ ,” Callon looked to his sister, “I heard Elanor shot down a large stag today,”

“A mess hall, I’m surprised you have a guard here,” Dwalin sounded surprised.

“I fail to see why, even the most peaceful of creatures have enemies that they must defend themselves from,” she said, “Why else would a rabbit have such large ears and feet, if not to hear and run from the fox?” she quipped with a cheeky smile.

“We only patrol twice a day, just to ensure no enemies are settling nearby, and a lot of the guards tend to eat at home with their families if they prefer to,” Callon added.

They walked up to the hall, with the siblings opening the doors and stepping in without another word, expecting the company to follow them inside. They didn’t know where to look first, the hall was decorated along some of the walls with taxidermied animal heads and was well lit with chandeliers and candles. A fireplace and piano located to the right gave the place a homier feel like a tavern.

To their left was a set up much like a bar, with a long table and stools to sit, while large barrels with taps sat on the other side. Further along was what appeared to be a buffet with meats, vegetables and fresh breads were set up in trays of two each and were piled high, underneath a metal pipe connected from underneath the tray to the fireplace, presumably this is how the food was retaining its heat; next to them lay crockery and cutlery, just itching to be used.

They spotted Nari talking to some of the guards, a mix of men and women by the looks of it, and they all seemed to be in agreement of sorts before she returned to the group.

“I’m sure the lot of ye are starving, so help yerselves to whatever ye fancy, we can take the table nearest to the fireplace,” she gestured, and they glanced at the long empty table and then to the buffet that awaited them. “Callon and I will bring drinks,” they signalled their agreements and made no hesitation in making their way to the food.

“Mind if I give ye a hand?” Nari turned, smiling when she saw the familiar hat on Bofur’s head, and saw the dwarf standing behind her eagerly.

“Aye if ye wish, although yer meant to be the guests here,” she looked at him and he shrugged. “Alright, come along,” the three of them walked together and she walked behind the counter to the barrels.

She bent down and collected the glass mugs together on the table, her brother and Bofur waiting as she filled them up carefully, not wanting them to spill over. She set them on the table and her brother took four in his hands, before making his way over to the table that was slowly being filled up by the company with their plates heaped with food.

“Bofur?” Nari asked to get the dwarf’s attention that had drifted off; he quickly turned to her apologetically. “Won’t ye ask Bilbo if he’d prefer something else? I’m not sure if hobbits like the same drink as dwarves,”

“Aye will do,” he nodded, taking the four mugs in front of him and heading towards the table, he set them down by his companions who were already scoffing down their meals hungrily. He walked over to where Bilbo had settled himself, “Bilbo, lad,”

“Yes Bofur?” he looked up with a warm smile.

“Nari would like to know if ye’d want something other than the ale,”

“Oh,” he sat up in surprise, “Oh, my. Well I wouldn’t mind a red wine if they have,” he said, “And pass on my thanks!” he added as Bofur began walking back.

He leaned against the table with crossed arms and spoke to her, “Nari, Bilbo said he’d like a red wine if ye have?”

“That I can do indeed,” she poured the deep red liquid into a fancier glass from a different barrel, and passed the glass over to Bofur, he took the glass along with two more ales and turned around.

“Oh, wait,” Bofur caught himself and turned around, “I mustn’t forget he extends his thanks!” Bofur raised the red wine in a salute making her smile.

“Alright, thank ye Bofur, now go on, my brother is already beating ye to dinner!” she encouraged him to move on and he did so quickly.

The spaces available were limited now as Bofur and Nari dished up some food before heading to the group, Nari chose her seat by Thorin, the young dwarf princes, Dwalin and Balin, along with her brother; leaving Bofur with no choice but to find seating opposite his little companion Bilbo on the other end of the table.

The company, with Nari and Callon, simply ate their meals and drank for some time, letting the discussion flow, and allowing them to settle in without fear of being attacked by a pack of Orcs. The guard gave no heed to the ruckus caused by them; in fact there were moments that the guard were louder than the group, which made it easier for the dwarves to feel at home.

The dwarf next to Dwalin looked to Nari, “So those children are they related to you?”

“Aye,” Nari said after swallowing another bite of food, “The little rascal that accidentally ambushed Bilbo is my niece Maethríen, the taller lad was my oldest nephew Lumlin and the smaller is my other nephew Lorin, they’re our sister’s bairns,”

Kíli whispered to his brother, “So he is unmarried,” and Fíli quickly stomped on his brother’s foot, making him hold back a yelp.

Dwalin growled, “Behave yourselves you two,”

Fíli immediately lowered his head, “Sorry Dwalin,”

“You better be,” he scolded. “We are guests, so don’t play your childish games here,”

“Yes, Dwalin,” they said rather deflated. 

“What do ye think they’re talking about over there?” Bofur asked Bilbo, the hobbit peered over as best as he could at the other side and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not sure, could be anything really,” he looked to Bofur and frowned, “Did you fix your braids?”

“Aye I did, do they look alright?”

“Yes, they look fine,” he assured him, “But I’m curious as to why, we’ve travelled for months and I haven’t seen you groom yourself so carefully before,”

“No reason.” Bofur shrugged the subject off, he banged his fist lightly on the table as he watched the group continue their discussions, alarming Bilbo; but he didn’t press the subject further.

“So Nari, you said you’d tell us about your ear?” Kíli asked, taking another swig of his ale while waiting for her answer, the dwarves suddenly quietened down and looked to her.

“Oh that’s right, I’d promised to tell ye,” she sat up a little, “I was practically a pebble when it happened… I lived with my father at the time, in Erebor. A lot of the dwarflings used to stare at me because I was clearly different to them,” she flicked her ears as an example.

“I wish I could’ve been there to stop them,” Callon muttered.

“Well ye couldn’t Cal, ye weren’t even conceived yet.” She shook her head, “Anyway, there were two older dwarves that decided that they had had enough of seeing me around, I was walking by myself just outside in the fields when they came up from nowhere,” she glanced at the eyes all watching her as she spoke and swallowed slightly.

“I hadn’t seen them at first, but then one of them grabbed me by my hair, it was a lot longer at the time, and he threw me on the ground. They started cursing at me in Khuzdul, and then one of them kneeled on my shoulder to pin me down, and I wasn’t strong enough to fight back then. His friend brought out a small dagger and started cutting my left ear,”

There was a moment of silence before Dwalin’s companion spoke up, “That’s truly awful, I’m very sorry to hear our kin had treated you so poorly,”

“Thank ye,” she nodded, “Thankfully my father had been searching for me, he heard my screams, and he chased them away before they could do away with my whole ear,” she took a gulp from her ale and set the drink down. “Ever since then, I’ve been keeping my hair short, and that’s when my father decided to train me to defend myself,”

“That explains how ye know yer way around a weapon,” Dwalin inclined his head in agreement, she nodded as well.

“But I know where that hatred was coming from; King Thrór wasn’t particularly trusting of the elves when they had come to seek gems from the mountain, almost as if he thought the Elves would have stooped to thievery,”

Thorin tensed up next to Nari and glared at her, “What say you of my grandfather?”

“I met him not long after I was attacked, and he was different from what I’d been told about him, he was incredibly tense, and quite terrifying if I’m honest,”

“Of course he was, he was strained from his duties as King,” Thorin defended.

“Ye don’t understand… the moment he laid eyes on me, it was as if dragon-fire erupted from him. He knew my blood wasn’t pure, wasn’t all dwarf,” she glanced at her brother briefly, “He lashed out at my father while I stood next to him, called me an abomination in front of hundreds of dwarves and he _banished_ my father and me. And then, he threatened to behead us, and anyone like us, if we ever dared to enter Erebor again.” The company remained silent.

“That was the first time I truly understood fear. It was the kind that makes yer heart thump out of yer chest and a lump form in yer throat, leaving ye unable to breathe, that deadly look he gave was enough to shake my soul from my body.” She stared into the distance at nothing in particular.

Thorin almost whispered as he spoke, “I had no idea that such things were happening under his rule.”

“Ye couldn’t know everything that goes on,” Nari cocked her head to the side.

“As the new King I apologise on behalf of the heirs of Erebor for what he said to you, you have been nothing but kind and welcoming to us thus far,”

She shrugged, “After a few years I learned not to take his words to heart, I came to realise that gold-sickness was slowing consuming him, and was likely the reason for his anger,”

“There was no gold sickness-”

“Everyone knows of it, even the Elves and Men,” she gave him a look that made him hold back his tongue. “Look, I know ye bear yer own hatred to Elves because of Thranduil’s decision not to aid Erebor during Smaug’s Desolation, but ye don’t even know of those who did-”

“There were none.” Thorin stated.

Nari laughed, “Really? Because we have plenty of Elves living here that will tell ye otherwise, they’ve never returned to their woodland realm because of their ever so wonderful King Thranduil.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at his advisor, but the dwarf shrugged and shook his head.

“King Thranduil warned the Elves that if they dared to help the Dwarves that they’d be banished from Mirkwood,” she looked at them and they all seemed confused, “Believe me or don’t, but ye can ask anyone here, most of the villagers are half-dwarf and half-elf. The elves who were banished settled here and, well they fell in love,” she took another sip of ale.

“A few years passed by and they had children of their own, more outcasts came from far to settle with us, and the village went from a handful to hundreds, and now we have generations growing and learning mixed cultures together. That’s why Thranduil was so displeased seeing me, knowing that we are real must’ve sickened him,”

“Ye were face to face with Thranduil?” Callon asked in astonishment. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to smite ye on the spot,”

“I do believe he was tempted,” Thorin spoke up, “Though, Nari did not aid her chances by speaking back to him,” Nari chuckled at that.

Kíli piped in, “So what’s it like, growing up with both Dwarven and Elvish cultures?”

“Oh, it’s interesting to say the least. At first I lived mostly with my father in Erebor, so I knew Khuzdul and picked up his thick accent before I learned Sindarin from my mother. Though when I had to learn how to fight I was better with Elven weapons, mostly because they were lighter than the Dwarven for my age,”

“I’ve been curious,” Fíli looked between her and Callon with a slight frown, “Why does your sister seem completely different from both of you?”

They looked between each other and Callon decided to answer, “Our sister took a greater liking to Elven culture-”

“In other words she decided she was somehow better than us,” Nari scoffed and Callon looked at her, “It’s true Callon, ye saw how she acted today,”

“And how does it work with your names?” Fíli asked, still clearly confused.

“It’s actually quite simple,” Nari raised her finger, “Daughters tend to be given Elven names, while sons are given Dwarven names, but I’m not sure when that started happening... I suppose it makes it easier to distinguish between the sexes?” she shrugged. “And before ye ask, my full name makes me sound like a fairy so I prefer not to use it,”

“Even though its meaning is perfectly suited,” Callon smirked, making Nari stick out her tongue. “Translated, it means ‘a narrator of stories’, mine means ‘a hero’,”

“And ironically, Lúthrien’s means ‘to enchant’,” Nari rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Ye shouldn’t talk so little of yer older siblings; sometimes they mean the best for ye,” Dwalin’s companion spoke up and looked to his left, “Right, Dwalin?”

“Aye, Balin, this is true,” Dwalin agreed.

“Older?” Nari’s brows furrowed, “I’m the eldest.”

“Oh, well, uh…” they both faltered.

“Whatever, I won’t argue, everyone always thinks she’s the oldest anyways,” she shook her head, “She likes to appear level-headed when she knows people are watching, but she can have a temper worse than me when she’s angry. And she just happens to have my mother’s height on her side,”

“Don’t worry about it,” Callon assured her with a small smile.

“Ye know, talking of families… I’d like to tell you what I want in return for this favour of ours,” she turned to Thorin.

“Go on,” he said, readying himself for the worst.

“Most of the dwarves who reside here came from Erebor and a lot of their children, such as myself, grew up on tales of the Kingdom. Only, I was lucky enough to have experienced life there for a short while, and well… since yer on yer way to reclaim the Kingdom as a descendant of the line of Durin, and they are also children of Durin, they were hoping to return to their home.” She paused to let the information sink in, he opened his mouth to speak but she continued.

“There’s great heartache among some of the villagers, to a lot of them this doesn’t feel like home, it was meant to serve as a temporary settlement until they could be welcomed back. The worst part of it being that Erebor is so close, but yet it feels worlds away, but I’m sure ye understand what that feels like, that’s why ye’re on this journey. To return home.”

“It is,” Thorin said slowly. “Though I’d perhaps need some time to process how it would all work,”

“It is a lot, but I’d like ye to at least consider it,” she looked up at him and searched his gaze, but could not make anything of it.

“I will,” he nodded shortly.

At the other end of the table Bofur and Bilbo noticed a guard had taken to the piano and was beginning to play the keys in a melancholic tune; Bilbo looked at Bofur, he shrugged and looked at the other end of the table, the group was still talking and had not noticed anything, the guard was then joined by another who stood and began to sing in a low deep voice.

“I saw the sun begin to dim, and felt that winter wind blow cold. A dwarf learns who is there for him, when the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold.”

The pianist began to sing with him, “’Cause from then, rubble one remains, can only be what’s true. If all was lost, there’s more I gained. ‘Cause it led me back… to you.”

At this point Nari and the group near the head of the table had stopped conversing; her brother moved from his seat and approached the men, leaning against the fireplace to watch them.

“From now on, these eyes will not be hidden from the lights, from now on. What’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight, tonight.” The tune slowly picked up, “Let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart, from now on, from now on.” The piano started playing more light-heartedly.

Suddenly Callon joined in, his voice was warm in comparison to the others, “We drank champagne as King and Queen, the village people praised our name!” he looked up to the guard and company, “But those were someone else’s dreams, the pitfalls of the dwarf I became… For years and years, I chased their cheers, the crazy speed of always needing more-”

Nari joined her brother’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder and faced the guard that was now gathering around them. “But when I stop, and see you here- I remember who all this was for!”

She wrapped an arm around Callon’s shoulder and he did the same to her waist, they leaned into each other and continued with their song. “And from now on, these eyes will not be hidden from the lights.”

Some of the guards had gathered by the bar, filling mugs with ale, some had gone as far as climbing and sitting on each other’s shoulders, passing the drinks along to the rest. “From now on, what’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight, it starts tonight!”

“Hey!” The guard cheered loudly, clinking their ales together, while the company stepped back to give them room.

Bilbo pressed himself firmly against the wall in alarm, having already experienced the wildness upon meeting the company and not wanting it again. The company was not familiar with the song, but they watched on; Bofur’s gaze was fixed to Nari, and Fíli’s fell onto her brother.

“And let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart; from now on… from now on!”

“Hey!” The guard cheers once more.

Callon belted out, “From now on…!”

Suddenly the guard joined in, “And we will come back home, and we will come back home… home, again!” they stomped their feet, some linked arms and swung each other around enthusiastically, others simply enjoyed jumping around and stepped onto the tables.

“And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home… home, again!

Callon sang out, “From now on…!”

“And we will come back home and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home-”

“Yes!” Nari cheered happily.

“- Home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! From now on…”

The siblings sang together, “These eyes will not be hidden from the lights!” The crowd started stomping on the wooden floors and tables together.

“From now on!”

“What’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight! It starts tonight! Let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart. From now on… from now on… from now on…!”

Everyone sang out together, “And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home again!”

The song began to slow down now, with some of the softer voices singing the final chorus, “From now on… from now on… home, again! Ooooh. From now on… From now on… home, again.”

The dwarves remained where they stood as the guard disbanded from their sudden outburst of song, most leaving the mess hall with their companions and hanging onto each other, chattering away eagerly while making their way back to their homes. The company felt a sudden emptiness in their chest that could only be described as longing and homesickness; it was weighing heavy on them now that soon they would set foot once again in the place that they could call home.

Thorin watched on but was in deep thought, assessing his options in the situation; his men needed to get whatever supplies they could get hold of to reach the mountain and reclaim it, however, there was still an uncertainty pressing in the back of his mind. His father and grandfather would certainly not have wanted half-elves living in Erebor, no matter if they were half-dwarf; though… Nari’s efforts in helping them were not something he could ignore.

He had not noticed Nari standing next to him until she spoke up and waved her hand in front of his face, “Thorin?”

He cleared his throat, “Apologies,”

“I was just saying that ye can settle in one of the old bunkers for the night, it might be slightly cramped but I reckon it’s a lot better than sleeping on the ground.”

“Thank you,” he glanced at Balin and gave him a sure nod, “And I’d like to offer our home to your people, however many there may be, it’s about time we start filling the halls of Erebor with life once again.”

The company was stunned by the sudden revelation, even Nari and Callon were surprised, and she caught sight of Bofur who was grinning cheerfully.

“If that’s yer final decision, I can certainly live with it,” Nari smiled, as if the news had given her the sudden relief she had needed, she extended her hand to Thorin and they shook in agreement; the company cheered.

“Now let’s end the night on an even better note, sleep,” Callon said, “It’ll be dawn before ye know it,” he cocked his head and Nari nodded, leading the way out, followed by the company.

Callon kept his eye on the group as they walked on and he noticed that Fíli and Kíli had started falling behind, he turned around and made his way to them, while Nari continued to lead the way to the bunkers.

“Is he alright?” he nodded to Fíli.

“I’m fine; I can still walk by myself!” Kíli argued irritably, “I wish everyone would stop making a fuss- Ah!” he stumbled slightly and grabbed for his injured leg, Fíli immediately tucked himself under his arm to support him.

“He told me his leg had been feeling a bit numb during supper,” Fíli admitted, making Kíli glare at him. “Brother, you need help. Don’t look at me with those eyes.”

Bofur had finally caught up with Nari, her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled at him, and she looked him over once more. “Ye clean up nicely Bofur, yer braiding is very nice,” she noted.

“I try,” he shrugged with a cheeky grin, “I have to tone it down otherwise I’ll outshine the others ye know,”

“Oh I bet the ladies can’t keep their hands from ye.” She laughed, just ahead there were several bunker buildings. “We’re almost there now,”

Kíli grimaced and stopped in his tracks, the pain was becoming unbearable, “Okay, I’ll admit- I’m not in peak condition,”

“Is there something we can do for him?” Fíli looked up to Callon worriedly, the dwarf nodded.

“Nari!” he yelled out, making her stop and turn her attention to the call, “We need help,” he informed, gesturing to Kíli.

“Alright, I’ll be right there!” she looked to the rest of the company, “It’s just this building here,” she pointed in front of her, “Rest well, all of ye, the days to come will surely be a lot more challenging than the rest has been.”

They walked on without complaint to the bunkers, some waited for the others to enter first as Nari began walking to Callon, Fíli and Kíli who had remained behind.

“Nari, thank ye lass,” Bofur called out with a wave, she turned to look at him. “Ye have a good night.”

“Aye, ye too Bofur, thank ye,” she waved and gave him a smile, and continued walking with Thorin striding up to her side.

“Will he be alright?” he asked with a straight face.

“I’ll try my best to make sure he’ll heal. He will be safe.” She assured him; she placed a hand on his shoulder, “Thorin, rest. Tomorrow ye’ll be travelling again and ye need all the strength ye can get,”

“Take care of him,” he gave her a serious look. “Lads, take care of each other,” he instructed the brothers.

“Of course Uncle,” Fíli nodded, as did Kíli, he inclined his head and turned back around, heading into the bunker.

“Right, let’s have a look at ye,” Nari said as she approached them, she bent down to examine the wound quickly, “Let’s get him into the bunker next door,” she suggested, the boys didn’t hesitate in carrying Kíli in as he had begun to pale slightly.

They rested him onto one of the beds and Nari rested her palm on his forehead, she frowned and shook her head, “Cal, get my healer’s kit from my house, quickly,” she didn’t even look up at him as she spoke; her attention was focused on Kíli’s leg, her fingers tracing the outer areas where the skin had blackened terribly.

“How is it looking?” Fíli asked nervously, he paced for a bit before sitting at the end of the bed, holding Kíli’s lower leg gently.

“Well he’s got a fever, which means he’s battling the poison, but he’s also paling which isn’t good,” she looked over his face, checking his eyes, “Kíli, how clearly can ye see me?”

“Very clearly,” he swallowed almost nervously, “Did you know you have turquoise and honeycomb eyes?” he asked, looking dreamily at her.

She stared at him for a moment with raised brows, before looking down at his leg, “Wait, what happened to his bindings?” she asked, forgetting his delirious question.

“We took it off so he could bathe,” Fíli explained.

“Why didn’t ye replace it?” she asked with a frown, her brother returned with a small bag in hand and handed it to her, she didn’t wait for Fíli’s response. “Callon, why didn’t ye replace the bind on him?”

“It wasn’t a bleeding wound, I assumed it wasn’t necessary,” he shrugged, “Why?”

“He was shot with an orc arrow, that’s why,” she huffed, digging into her bag for something; she pulled out a small box and set it down on the table. “Hold him down, he’s not going to like this,” she ordered, opening it and scooping a vibrant pink ointment with her fingers, they did as she told, with Callon holding his legs and Fíli moving up to hold his shoulders as he sat next to him.

She rubbed the ointment into the wound and Kíli hissed in pain, she ignored his complaints and scooped more of the ointment and rubbed it all in, Kíli started writhing and wriggling trying to loosen their grasp.

“It burns!” he yelled out, balling his hands into fists, his eyes closing as he struggled to take on the pain.

“Aye, it’s an open wound, and that’s the worst of it done with, so stop whining,” she packed the box away and looked at Callon, “I need hot water,” he nodded and left quickly.

“What did you put on him?” Fíli asked, rubbing his brother’s shoulder to soothe him, Kíli settled back down again.

“It’s for wounds that don’t heal well; it should stop the numbness and encourage the skin to regrow… if it can that is,” she sat on the bed and touched Kíli’s forehead again, “The fever is settling slightly, but I have a feeling that he won’t be able to rest comfortably tonight,”

Callon returned with a bucket steaming with hot water, and a small bowl, he set them down next to Nari. “Are ye planning to brew tea?” he asked her.

“Aye, one that will help him sleep,”

“I’ll get to work on brewing it,” he said without second thought, opening another box and plucking out dried leaves, placing them into a small clothed bag. Fíli watched as he then put the small clothed bag into the bowl and poured the hot water over it.

Nari leaned over and placed her right ear against Kíli’s chest and listened carefully to the thumping heart, for a few moments it sounded very slow, but eventually it started picking up a steady rhythm again and she moved back.

“His heart sounds better than I thought it would,” she told Fíli, “Now I’m no expert, so I do suggest that in the morning we have a healer examine him properly-”

“I’m fine,” Kíli spoke up, “There’s no need,” he waved her suggestion off. Callon handed Nari the brewed tea and she leaned over to Kíli to let him drink, but he shook his head. “I said I’m fine, really,”

“Give it to me,” Fíli lifted his hands, she placed the small bowl in his hand and stood up and he held it to his brother’s mouth. “Drink Kíli, it’s for your own health,”

“But Fee-”

“Please,” he pleaded, staring at his younger brother.

“Alright, alright, but I can do it myself,” Kíli resolved and took the bowl from his hands, he took a sip and scrunched his nose up, “This tastes _awful_ ,”

“It’s medicine, and it’s said that the worst tasting medicine will heal ye the best, so drink up,” Nari suggested, “Besides, it’ll take away yer fever and pain, and help ye sleep better tonight,”

“Fine,” Kíli looked at the bowl uncertainly, but then he decided to take it down in one big gulp, and another, until it was empty. “Retched stuff,” he coughed and sniffled.

Fíli stood up and walked around to the other two and whispered, “Thank you, both of you.” He glanced at Kíli and spoke quietly, “Kee can be a bit of a stubborn dwarf sometimes, I think he learned that from Uncle,” he admitted in embarrassment.

“It’s no trouble, I’ve dealt with far worse,” Nari glanced at her brother with a cheeky grin and he rolled his eyes but returned the smile. “I couldn’t stand seeing another dwarf die because of an orc arrow,” she looked at Kíli.

“Another dwarf?” he asked, he glanced at his brother who was beginning to dose off and frowned at her.

“I suggest ye keep an eye on him, if he’s as stubborn as ye say he’s going to play down his pain. But the most important thing for him is plenty of rest, keep his leg elevated as much as ye can,” she informed him.

“I will keep an eye on him,” he agreed.

“We should get some rest,” she looked to her brother, “It’ll be easier if we stay here for the night; once they wake we can make further arrangements,”

“Aye, sounds good,” Callon agreed.

They spread out onto some of the other beds not too far away, Fíli decidedly taking the bed nearest to his brother, while the other siblings settled a little further away. Nari stared at the ceiling, her eyes moving around to look at nothing in particular as if she was going through her thoughts, and Callon frowned softly at her, wondering what was troubling her.

He whispered, “Nari?”

“Mm?”

“What’s on yer mind?”

She spoke quietly, “ _{Tomorrow I duel with Cáleb},_ ”

“ _{That’s nothing new}_ ,”

“ _{I informed him that this is the last fight, for good}_ ,” she turned her head slightly to look at him, “ _{I’ll go mad if I lose tomorrow of all days}_ ,”

“ _{But you will not, we both know this},_ ” he assured her, “ _{Tomorrow, you will finally be rid of him. And we will be able make a start to our resettlement into Erebor, once we send the company on their way},_ ”

“ _{I hope so}_ ,” she breathed out and stared up at the ceiling once more.

He chuckled lightly, “A million dreams are keeping me awake,”

“A million dreams is all it’s gonna take,” she gave him a soft smile before turning over in her bed, “Goodnight Callon.”

“Goodnight Nari,” he closed his eyes with a grin still on his face.


	6. Chapter 5

The sunlight casting through the front door was what alerted Thorin to the start of the new day; he immediately got up and started to wake the rest of the company from their sleep. Soon they were all up and they wandered out into the sunny day, most of them raised their hands to cover their eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, and they found Nari, Callon and the princes already standing outside.

“Morning, I was just about to come wake ye up,” Nari greeted them, “Thought ye might need the rest,”

“Yes, well, we’re rested now,” Thorin nodded.

“Callon suggested visiting the market so we can get some supplies if ye need,”

“By all means,”

The group walked on towards the marketplace, it was near the entrance they had entered through the day before, and bustling with activities already considering it was only the start of the day.

“For a small village your people don’t seem short of busyness,” he noted.

“One has to keep busy if ye can’t live a life outside of these walls,” she glanced back at him and his wandering gaze turned to that of shame, she stopped walking and stood in what seemed to be the centre of the marketplace, “Now I’m sure ye’d like to get yer hands on some supplies whatever they may be, so explore what we have to offer, and tell the owners that I sent ye, if they give you grief then find Callon or me,”

“What about the weapons you promised us?” Dwalin asked.

“Ye’ll get them later, we’ll meet up back here sometime passed noon,”

The company didn’t argue and disbanded into smaller groups, each moving to a different stall of their choosing, the only remaining were Nari, and Bofur.

He walked over to Nari with his hands behind his back and a big grin on his face, she raised her brow, “Ye wouldn’t happen to know where I could acquire a musical instrument would ye?”

She smiled, “Aye I would, come along,” she cocked her head and started walking towards the furthest side of the marketplace.

The stall was set up with a variety of instruments displayed on a beautiful red cloth, and they approached it just as a young family finished up their purchase, their young child jumping in tow of their guiding hand while clutching a lute in their own small hand. Bofur looked across the entire table, to his amazement there were some instruments he’d never seen before, and some were so large that they had to be displayed from the ground up.

“Got a big enough selection have ye?” he asked the stall owner, he stared longer than intended as he tried to recall where he had seen the face before.

“Ye remember Nikolas, don’t ye?” Nari asked.

“Oh, yer brother-in-law, I thought I recognised him,” he stuck out his hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet ye, officially,”

“You must be part of the company that has my poor wife fretting,” Nikolas chuckled and took his hand giving it a firm shake before releasing it, “What’s yer name?”

“Bofur,”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave a genuine smile, “So what do you have your heart set out for?” He looked him over, “Perhaps a flute?”

“Oh ye’re a right clever lad, how did ye figure that out?” Bofur asked in amazement.

“You have an old one hanging from your side,” he nodded his head and Bofur touched the dangling instrument and laughed.

“I must’ve put it there out of habit,” he untied it and held it in his hands, “Though I do believe that this one has seen better days…” he sighed.

“How did I not notice that?” Nari asked out loud, “Ye know, I didn’t think ye to be the kind to play something so delicate,”

“Really, and why’s that lass?”

She shrugged, “I just thought ye’d play the drums or perhaps a lute, something more accustomed to yer personality I suppose,”

“There’s plenty about me I could surprise ye with,” he winked at her.

“Well I have plenty of selection for you among the flutes,” he gestured to the ivory, ebony, metal and honey coloured options, “Oak, maple, brass, silver, even bone; have a look,”

Bofur looked down at all the variations, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden need to choose, to him they were all beautiful, and then his eyes fell upon it. He carefully picked up a white flute, examining the intricate carvings of flowers that were well planned and etched with care, something about it made him desire it.

“This one, it’s perfect,” he almost whispered.

“Ah, the stag-bone flute, it took me over a year to carve that one,” Nikolas said, “It’s best suited for upbeat music, and it’s the strongest material I’ve encountered, it will last a lifetime,”

“Is that so?” Bofur asked, becoming deflated, he moved to place it back onto the table, “It must cost a fortune-”

“Then I shall pay for it,” Nari stopped him, “How much Nikolas?”

“Nari, you’re family, I could not-”

“Ye said it yerself, it took a year for ye to carve, and I will not have my nephews and niece suffer because their father may struggle to make ends meet,” she retrieved a pouch of coins, leaving him no room to argue. “How much?”

“Two hundred and fifty,” he said, she looked at him with a small glare, “Alright it's three hundred and fifty,” he sighed, she smiled and dumped the bag of coins on the table.

“That should be enough, thank ye Nikolas,”

“You’re welcome, thank you.” Nikolas nodded with slightly widened eyes, he cleared his throat, “And don’t worry about Lúthrien, she just needs time to calm down, you know how she gets,”

“Aye, I know,” she nodded. “Let’s go,” she looked to Bofur and walked on, he followed after her.

“I can’t thank ye enough for this,” Bofur beamed, “Truly, I owe ye,”

“Consider it a gift, ye did almost die following my instructions after all,” she looked at him and gave him a lopsided smile, “Probably the least I can do to make up for it,”

“Still, that was a great deal of money,” he glanced at the instrument and carefully tied it to his side.

“Really, it was nothing Bofur.” She waved her hand, “Now, is there anything else ye might need?” Nari looked around at the other stalls and raised a brow to him, he shook his head, Callon and the princes were examining knives with the craftsmen not too far off and her brother was eagerly speaking with Fíli while Kíli seemed distracted.

“Nothing more I could need,”

“A dwarf of simple needs I see,”

“Aye, ye have to be when ye move about from town to town,”

Nari glanced up at the sky, “Let’s take the opportunity to enjoy the sun while we’re here,” she suggested, Bofur agreed and they walked side by side until they reached a sitting area.

They found that Bombur was seated further away with a large pile of food before him, Bofur laughed at the expression on Nari’s face as he sat on a bench, she sat next to him and looked at him with concern.

“Does he always eat that much food?” she asked, noting a wheel of cheese, fresh fruits, bread rolls and some cooked meats all piled together.

“Aye,” he leaned back and looked to the sky before returning his gaze to her, “Ever since I could remember Bombur’s always eaten hordes of food, mind ye, he can cook about as well as he eats,”

“I’ve heard ye should never trust a slender cook, so I would believe ye,” Bofur laughed and she looked at Bombur in wonder. “How do ye know him?”

He rested his hands behind his head and stretched his back out, “He’s my older brother,”

“Really?” she asked in surprise.

“Aye, the resemblance is uncanny, I know,” he grinned with a familiar cheek. “And that dwarf who wears the decorative axe in his head is our cousin, Bifur, we’re not quite sure how it got stuck there, but he was never much for words to begin with,”

“Well I certainly see the resemblance between ye and Bifur,” she chuckled lightly, “Ye both like to adorn yer heads with funny things,”

“Ooh that was a low-blow,” he pretended to wince and grab his side.

“So who else is related? I gather Fíli and Kíli must be related, and Fíli addressed Thorin as ‘uncle’?”

“Aye, Fíli is Kíli’s older brother, and Thorin is their Uncle by blood,”

“That explains why he’s been so protective of them,” she nodded, “I take it he has no bairns of his own?”

Bofur shook his head, “I don’t think he ever looked to find love, but he treats his sister’s sons as if they were his own,”

“I understand that,” she looked around the marketplace absentmindedly.

“Aye, ye seem close to yer nephews and niece,”

“What? Oh yes,” she caught sight of her brother, “Them too. But I’ve been keeping an eye over my brother since he was a pebble,”

“He must think the world of ye for that,” Bofur said, Nari looked to see that his face was serious, she glanced back at Callon.

“I could only hope so,”

Bofur didn’t press the subject further, so he continued speaking about the company, “And then ye have Dori, Nori and Ori, they’re all brothers, different fathers and in that order by birth,” he pointed to the three that stood together near a crockery stand, “Dori is the grey-haired mother hen of the lot, Nori the pointy-haired lad likes to make bets and does the occasional theft now and then, and young Ori is an artist and writer, and I heard that he’s hoping to document our journey someday,”

“Dori, Nori and Ori, alright, that’s not at all confusing,” Nari scrunched her nose and pointed to Balin and Dwalin, “And they are brothers as well? At least that’s what I gathered based on dinner last night,”

“Aye, Balin is Dwalin’s older brother, they may not seem like it but they’re thick as thieves, and our healer Óin along with his brother Glóin are their cousins as well,” he pointed out the two older dwarves.

“Balin and Dwalin, those names continue to sound so familiar…” she thought for a moment and then shrugged it off, “Never mind.” She nodded to Bilbo who had found himself in conversation with Thorin. “What of Master Baggins?”

“Bilbo? Oh, he’s on his own, poor lad, there’s no family I know of waiting for his return back to the Shire either,”

“Oh, that is a bit sad,” she rubbed her hands awkwardly together, “But what I meant was, why did he join the company?”

“Oh! Well we needed a burglar to get inside the mountain and get the Arkenstone, he’s lighter than a feather when he wants to be that Bilbo,”

“Burglar?” she frowned, “He doesn’t seem the type... but who am I to be judging?” she leaned back on the bench and stretched her arms out behind her, “Well I’m certainly glad to know more about the famous company. Thank ye,”

He smiled at her, “Anytime… though if ye wanted to be alone with me all ye had to do was ask ye know, ye didn’t have to single me out,”

She laughed and smacked him playfully on the shoulder and pointed at him, “Ye were the one who sought me out, playing daft the way ye were,”

He chuckled and rubbed his arm where she had hit him, “Caught on to that, did ye?”

“Of course I did, ye’re a right cheeky dwarf, and it’s easy to tell when ye’re up to something,” she smiled at him and rested her arm on the bench, “So, tell me more about yerself,”

“About, about me?” Bofur almost stuttered, “What about me?”

“Anything really,” she rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, “It’s not often that we meet people from outside of our village anymore,”

Bofur was about to speak when he was interrupted, “Nari, I’m sorry to disturb you,” it was the young elf maid from the evening before, Elva, he recalled, “But it’s nearly noon and-”

“Already?” she asked, looking up at the sky, “My how the time flies… I’m sorry to leave ye on such short notice Bofur but I have something I need to attend to, tell the others I’ll meet them shortly,” she excused herself and got up, jogging away from the marketplace and out of sight, with Elva following not far behind.

Bofur closed his mouth and lowered his hand, he was joined by Fíli and Kíli who seated themselves happily next to him, the youngest brother decided to prop his leg over Fíli’s lap while munching on a sweet treat in hand, with Callon standing nearby and looking to where she had gone.

“Must you put your leg on my lap?” Fíli sighed.

“What?” Kíli asked through a mouthful of food, “Nari said to keep it elevated,” he grinned and took another bite of his food.

“The only time you decide to listen to someone, and you decide to use me for a footrest,” Fíli sighed, shaking his head, he looked over to Bofur and frowned. “Where did Nari run off to?”

Kíli bent his head back to look at Bofur upside-down, “Yes, she seemed eager to leave,” he munched at his food again.

 _“Kee,”_ Fíli hissed, making the young brother move back upright and shrug.

“What? You saw it with your own eyes-”

“Sometimes there are things you just can’t say-”

“Well I wish I knew lads, she just pardoned herself and then ran off down that way,” Bofur pointed in the direction. “I think it had to do with whatever that Elva lass told her yesterday while we were waiting to bathe,”

“Bofur, where is Nari?” Thorin asked as he approached them, the other members had gathered to the bench and some looked around muttering to each other.

“What time is it?” Callon asked, causing everyone to look at him.

“That lass Elva said it was nearly noon, why?”

“I know where she went, and it’s not good,” he tensed slightly, he looked at the others, “I don’t suppose it’s anything to hide, so ye may as well come along,” he nodded his head and walked off.

“Are you certain we should be going to wherever she is?” Thorin asked him.

“Well, most of the village will likely be there to watch, it’s no secret,”

The company all glanced at one another and shrugged, they tried to bounce ideas around quietly about what it could possibly be, but none of them were close. They stopped their chattering when they heard a loud whistling noise from nearby.

“Seems that we’re just in time,” he stopped walking and the dwarfs nearly walked straight into him, grumbling they dispersed and looked ahead.

Nari was facing a dwarf not too far from herself, in an open clearing that was surrounded by a crowd; they kept their distance as they waited. He removed his sword from its sheath and Nari did the same, neither moving from where they stood, holding each other’s gaze.

“What’s going on?” Kíli asked Callon, seating himself on the ground to rest his leg.

“Cáleb’s trying to win my sister’s hand in marriage,”

“Marriage?” Bilbo asked surprised, “It looks like they’re about to dual-” he said in disbelief, “Is this _normal_ Dwarf custom?”

“Certainly not,” Balin shook his head.

“Right, so who’s betting that Nari shall beat the lad?” Nori asked, not hesitating in making money out of the situation.

“My money is on the lass, if she can nearly get Thranduil then she can certainly handle this dwarf,” Bofur said confidently, “How much are we talking?”

“A hundred coins,” Nori said.

“I agree with Bofur, I’m certain the lass can handle her own,” Dwalin agreed.

“Really? I don’t think she’d be able to,” Kíli shook his head, “I wager that she won’t win,”

“I might not be agreeable with the violence of the situation, but I’d put my money on her,” Bilbo nodded.

“I’ll wager that she might teach him a good lesson,” Fíli smirked, “She doesn’t seem the type of dwarrow to be objectified as a trophy, I’m in,”

And soon enough the others had placed their bets; Bofur, Dwalin, Bilbo, Fíli, Dori, Nori and even Callon had made the wager for her to win, while Kíli, Bombur, Bifur, Ori, Óin and Glóin otherwise disagreed, the winners would divide the money amongst one another; Thorin and Balin wanted nothing to do with it as they watched on in concern.

As if they had been waiting for the bets to be placed they started to move, with Cáleb making the first swing towards her, she lifted her sword and swiftly blocked the attack, and taking a strike at him in return. They continue their back and forth assaults, with Cáleb seemingly taking the lead, the company muttering among one another that Nari was holding back against him while the others waved it off.

Nari was returning the swings with ease, until Cáleb’s foot slipped underneath her unnoticed and tripped her up, she stumbled backwards onto the ground with a grunt and he took the opportunity to try and pin her arms down, kneeling heavily over her.

She wriggled underneath him, both of them panting slightly from the exertion; he looked her dead in the eyes.

_“Yield,”_ he growled, she freed her arms from his grip and grabbed her sword that lay next to her.

“Never,” she quickly slid her sword between their chests as a barrier, and grasped the other end of the blade with her other hand, she shoved him off of her with excessive force and he immediately moved back to retrieve his sword.

They fought again with their swords clanging away, but the company could sense that Nari’s swings were becoming more aggressive than needed; in fact to their surprise she missed a few chances to strike him. Cáleb swung hard enough to spin Nari on her heel, momentarily disorientating her direction of attack, and he came up behind her speedily, pressing his free arm across her chest into him and held his sword to her throat.

She didn’t hesitate in elbowing him in the gut, breaking free from his hold and then turning to strike him with her sword again; however, he had raised his sword in the nick of time as the weapons made a loud ringing as they scraped against each other.

Neither of them backed down, and as a result their swords were reaching dangerously close to their hands, Cáleb struck his sword against her hand to disarm her of her weapon; she dropped it with a yelp, shaking her hand but not slowing down when reaching to pick it up once again.

Cáleb’s sword to her throat made her fall short, she looked up at him as he eyed her, he pressed the cool metal to her neck and she didn’t give him the satisfaction of expressing her fear, simply staring at him.

“After all this time and you still hold on?” He asked, moving the blade slowly to the single braid that dangled from her face, with a flick of his wrist he cut it from her hair and it fell to the ground softly.

“I reckon she might just kill him now,” Callon muttered, pressing a hand to his head with a deep sigh.

“Why would ye say that?” Bofur asked.

“Our father braided that some time before he died, that was sixty years passed,”

Nari briefly glanced down at the braid; before she ducked under the sword that Cáleb now hovered carelessly by her, he stepped back in surprise at her sudden movement, clearly believing that he had won the match. She grabbed for her sword and swung hers hard enough to knock his from his grasp, it landed just in front of the crowd that had now gathered, he looked at her with widened eyes and started stepping backwards as she stomped towards him.

The most unforeseen events followed as she threw her own sword to the ground in rage, “Ye dare to dishonour the memory of my father?” She charged forward and grabbed him by the tunic, raising him from the ground slightly and pulling him close to her face, she used her free fist to punch him squarely underneath his jaw.

The crowd including the dwarves winced as he tumbled onto the ground stomach first, and he looked back almost helplessly as she came up behind him. She grabbed the scruff of his tunic using both hands, plucking him off the ground without effort; she walked backwards and then ran forwards, releasing him towards an empty hay-wain.

Feathers, hay and a few loose chickens flew into the air at the sudden collision, she brushed her hands off and watched him as he struggled, the company staring at her and astounded by her strength. He coughed heavily and discarded some of the mess that now covered him, wobbling to stand himself up once again, and he was clearly dazed and struggling to make sense of where he was.

His face was dirty from the mess of the hay-wain, and the drying blood that had bled out and dripped down to his mouth.

“C’mon! Ye wanted a fight and now ye’ve got one,” Nari gestured for him to come closer and he hesitated, _“{Fight me!}”_ she yelled, causing some of the crowd to be startled, he walked forward slowly and raised his fists to protect his face.

She made a few low blows to his abdomen which winded him, and he tried his best to get a few hits but missed on every attempt, his vision getting the best of him as he tried to focus himself. She hit him hard in the stomach and he dropped his hands to hold himself, she immediately punched him in the face and he crumpled to the ground with a spin.

Some of the crowd cheered while others gasped and talked in fear, only a handful booed their dislike. She moved back and retrieved Cáleb’s sword in her hand, Nari hovered over him and raised the sword, the crowd panicked as she stabbed downward, and the sword sunk firmly into the dirt next to his face. The company themselves let out their held breaths as they stared at the scene.

She leaned down to address him, “It’s over,” she hissed, and stood up quickly, marching away from the fight to the opposite direction of where the company stood, not having seen them.

The company fumbled for their coin sacks as they made their exchanges, those who lost admitting that they had clearly underestimated her capabilities, while the others roared in triumph at their winnings. 

“ _Narriel._ ” A female voice called out sternly, making her halt and shrink a little, she glimpsed up at the elf that stood tall on the side of the hay-wain, and bowed her head to look at the ground when she saw the look on her face.

Nari immediately walked passed the elf, appearing shameful as she avoided further eye contact, the company watched in confusion and took in the features of the new figure, wearing a long flowing powder blue dress that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.

“I suggest you come along, Thorin Oakenshield and Company,” she spoke calmly but the command behind it was clear, and she didn’t even look back to see if they were following.

Nari and the mysterious elf maid had disappeared from sight as Callon led the company onward after them, they didn’t even make conversation as they walked, as an uneasy feeling began to settle for all of them.

Nari waited impatiently for her, and she was met with an equally frustrated face from the elf maid as she entered and climbed the small steps towards her throne, looking back at Nari.

“You should apologise for humiliating Cáleb in such a way, what you did was unreasonable and unladylike to say the least, especially in front of all those villagers,” Nari rolled her eyes and sighed.

Lúthrien smirked at Nari from where she stood next to the throne, clearly satisfied that her sister was about to be punished for her actions; causing Nari to glare and cross her arms indignantly; she looked to the elf once again.

“I will _not_ apologise for my actions, he has been pestering me for the last sixty years wanting courtship where he had no chance, not after what he did,”

“I really wish you’d give him a chance dear,” she frowned deeply as she looked at her.

“He betrayed my trust; I cannot simply let that pass by-”

“He played no part-”

“I wish ye would stop making excuses for him!” The company stopped by the entrance, unnoticed by the bickering women, and they shifted on their feet uncomfortably.

“And I wish you didn’t have the same stubbornness as your father,” she said curtly, Nari glared at her for some time, before Thorin cleared his throat loudly and revealed their presence.

“Apologies Thorin and Master Dwarves,” the elf maid shot a look at Nari and waved her hand, “Please come inside, I’m sure you must have some questions,”

“Yes indeed, thank you,” Thorin entered, followed by the company, and Callon took his place next to his sister, standing with his hands behind his back.

“I am Misteth, Eossimar’s ruling Queen,” she introduced herself, “And also mother to the three standing here with you,”

The company’s jaws dropped collectively as they looked to Nari and Callon, Kíli and Fíli looked to each other and back to the siblings, and the group chatted excitedly.

“So… ye’re a, a princess then?” Bofur asked Nari in amazement.

“By birth I might be, but I’m not above anyone,” she briefly met his gaze but quickly returned it to her mother.

Misteth chuckled, “My oldest being ever so humble,” she shook her head, “Now as much as I’d like to give you time to process all this new information, I think it’s best to get to why you have come here. I’m sure Narriel and Callon have already helped you somewhat, but I’m certain you would like to get your hands on some weapons?”

“Yes,” Thorin nodded, “And your children have been very welcoming to us,”

“I am glad to hear that my daughter still has _some_ manners, considering the ruckus and madness I stumbled upon not too long ago,” Misteth said, looking at Nari with disappointment, and she bowed her head down irritably at her mother’s remark. “I’ll let the Captain of the Guard show you to the weaponry and armoury before you leave,”

“Thank you, we will be sure to return our thanks to the people of Eossimar once we’ve reached Erebor,” he assured her, and then he looked around with a frown, “So where is this Captain of yours?”

Misteth looked to Nari, “I believe you’re already acquainted with her,”

Dwalin was the first to speak, “Princess _and_ Captain of the Guard?”

Nari crossed her arms, “Aye, don’t be so surprised. I’m the best fighter in the village, as I’m sure ye’ve just witnessed,”

“It’s best that you go on your way Master Dwarves, and Master Hobbit,” Misteth suggested, “And I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your quest.” She paused as Callon led the company out of the hall, “And Narriel, I’ll have a word with you in private once you’ve finished,” she nodded her head with a serious gaze, before turning around and walking on to Lúthrien.

“Yes, Mother,” she mumbled and followed them out.

Nari walked tensely next to her brother on the way to the armoury, her hands now balled into fists as she focused her attention ahead of her.

Kíli popped up next to her and she frowned at him irritably, “You know, sometimes my mother would get angry at me sometimes,”

“Kíli-” Fíli stepped up and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder to pull him back.

He ignored his brother and continued despite her lack of response, “But as much as it would anger or sadden me, I knew she would only say those things out of love,”

“Aye?” she asked stopping still, tightening her fists, “And I’m sure yer mother wished for ye to be prim and proper like yer sister, with long flowing hair and pretty pink dresses instead of-”

 _“{Sister, breathe},”_ Callon touched her shoulder gently, she let out a shaky breath and let her hands fall open, he looked at her and she nodded.

“Sorry Kíli,” she mumbled, “I know ye were only trying to help,” she sighed and carried on walking. “Ever since my father passed it’s been hard to maintain a relationship with those two,”

“Why is that?” Kíli asked.

“Because… well…” she couldn’t think of an explanation.

“Because our sister and mother are very similar, and they’re both, a bit snobbish if I’m to be honest,” Callon answered, “Our father was the one who brought out the fun in them, at least that’s what I remember of him,”

“Besides that… my father decided to toughen me up since the assault from those dwarf boys, and started to treat me as if I were a lad instead,” Nari added, “She’d never admit to it, but I’m certain she’s disappointed that her daughter acts as a son,”

“Well I would think that a lass that could hold her own would be a relief for her parents,” Dwalin spoke up, “I would certainly be at ease if I had a daughter who could punch off any cheeky admirers the way you just did,”

“Aye and it was a sight to see,” Bofur agreed, taking to Nari’s side, making Kíli and Fíli fall back easily with the others.

“Aye, I heard ye all placing yer bets,” she smirked making Bofur grin sheepishly, “Ye really need to work on lowering yer voices,”

“About that lad-”

“Here we are,” Callon announced, he held his hand out to her, “Do ye have the key?”

“Oh damn, it’s back in the mess hall,” she shook her head after feeling her pockets, he waved his hand.

“No matter,” he pulled a hair pin from under his braiding and slid it into the lock, he wiggled it until it clicked and popped open, “Been meaning to practice my lock-picking,” he grinned, removing the lock and pushing the doors open.

“Does everyone in yer family know how to pick locks?” Bofur asked as they walked inside.

“Well my nephews and niece have nearly perfected it too,” she gave him a cheeky smile. “Can’t see a reason not to know,”

The company walked around the large room to take everything in, Callon taking pride in showing Fíli the multitude of swords and pointing out the arrows for Kíli, Nari smiled as they wondered in fascination. All of them touched and examined what interested them, finding variations that they did not expect, and trying to determine what they’d like best for themselves.

Bofur was among the first to finish his choice and stood next to Nari outside, “Erm, if ye don’t mind me coming back to my question, about the lad?” he propped himself against the other side of the entrance.

“I suppose it’s best to ease yer curiosity,” she chuckled, “Cáleb… hmm, well, he’s roughly my age, his family was one of the first to live here in Eossimar, we sort of grew up together, and he was with my father when he got injured and later died,”

“Why had he been with yer father?”

“I told my father that it was more than likely that the dwarves would fall back to Moria, the old kingdom he’d told me about, after Smaug desolated Erebor; so he, Cáleb and several others went on to help them fight and have a place to claim as home. My father had ordered me to stay home,” she looked around before looking back to Bofur.

“But ye didn’t, did ye?” he asked solemnly, she shook her head.

“If Cáleb hadn’t been so fearful, he could have prevented the injury from ever happening, he could’ve been alive,” she spoke softly, “I watched him freeze as my father got held by some orcs as a target, they shot him with one of their arrows, and then left him to die.”

“An arrow, like Kíli’s?” he asked, she nodded.

“I’d managed to kill off a few orcs but then the fight suddenly ended when Azog fled, I believe from Thorin’s assault. We managed to bring my father back home, but he died from the poison,” she took a deep breath, “He promised to protect my father, and I trusted him to bring him back home safely, and not only did he fail, but he tried to tell me it was beyond his control,”

“That must’ve been terrible, watching yer father become sick like that,” Bofur spoke quietly.

“Believe me, it was. We had no understanding of how to heal him at the time,”

“But now, what does this all have to do with yer fight and… marriage?”

Nari laughed derisively, “Cáleb had been trying to court me, and he was trying to ask my father for his blessing while he was on his deathbed,” she shook her head in disgust, “My father was likely mad from the poison, or very confident in my abilities,”

“I don’t understand,” Bofur frowned.

“He told Cáleb, that if he wanted my hand in marriage he’d have to duel me and win, little did he know that my father informed me to never let _‘that idiot’_ beat me, and so for the past sixty years he’d been persisting,”

“For _sixty_ years? I’d say I was sorry for the lad but it seems a bit excessive to keep trying,” Bofur shook his head, “He should’ve learned when to quit years ago,”

“I agree,” she nodded, “Which is why this was the last duel,” she smiled at him.

“Well that explains why ye kicked his arse so hard,” Bofur chuckled, “It was both impressive and terrifying to see yer strength ye know.”

She laughed, “Aye, it goes to show ye that looks don’t mean everything, yer companion Dwalin might be built like an ox, but I’m certain he can be soft hearted and compassionate like any of us,”

“What did you say about me being soft?” Dwalin barked from inside the room, he nearly dropped the axe he was wielding.

“Nothing Dwalin,” Nari called back and he huffed, moving out of the room to stand in the fresh air.

“That’s what I thought,” he grumbled irritably.

Soon the others made their way out, and Balin stopped near them, “And this father of yours, who was he then?”

“He was a member of the guard back in Erebor, Kalin, son of-”

“Fundin?” Dwalin walked up to them.

“Aye, did ye know him?” she frowned, looking at both of them as they looked to each other in surprise.

“Are you certain that was his name?” Dwalin stared at her.

“Of course I am, why?” she looked between them again.

“He was our…” Balin started.

“Brother,” he and Dwalin finished, they looked at each other in disbelief.

“Brother? But that means…” She scanned their faces and connected the dots.

“Hold still for a moment,” Balin asked as he moved forward, he raised his hand to cover half of her face, showing mostly her eye and damaged ear. “Dwalin, I told you he’d had a daughter, this is her,” he lowered his hand and lightly grabbed her shoulders, taking in her features, and she froze as she looked at him.

“Kalin was the youngest of us three,” Dwalin spoke up, “We’d heard that he’d had words with Thrór, but we never saw him again… I, I trained him myself,” his mind began racing.

“The only time I managed to see you, you were hiding behind your father’s legs, you were shy, and perhaps a little scared,” Balin’s eyes sparkled and he hugged Nari tightly and stepped back. “I knew he’d run off after a maiden but… an elf?”

“And I never even met you, until now,” Dwalin stared at her, “You resemble so much of your father now that I think about it,” he almost choked, “A part of our brother still lives on Balin,” he stepped forward and hugged Nari tightly, she rubbed his back gently, still slightly shocked.

“I remember why yer names were so familiar now,” she stepped back and looked at them, “Balin the Wise and Dwalin the Fierce, he used to tell us stories about ye.”

“‘Us’?” Dwalin asked.

“Aye, us,” Callon walked up to them. “Though Lúthrien always thought they were fairy tales,” he said.

“So we have… two nieces _and_ a nephew that Kalin hid from us,” Balin stared at the siblings. “This is very overwhelming indeed,”

“I think it's wonderful,” Nari laughed lightly, “Callon and I certainly would welcome ye with open arms to the family…” she looked at him and he nodded with a smile.

“As much as I am glad to witness this reunion of families,” Thorin interrupted the gathering, “We are running short on time,”

Nari cleared her throat, “Of course, and everyone is ready?” She scanned the company and they all gave their agreements. “Then we’ll be on our way,”

Nari and Callon led the way towards the main entrance once again, and the dwarves took one more look at their surroundings as they walked; families conversing together, children playing loudly, the marketplace coming to a slow, the ponies that hadn’t been seen before whinnying in the distance, along with other farm animals getting their say in.

It was all too familiar for them, Erebor had been much the same before the dragon had fallen upon them like a curse, and they so longed for home to be theirs once more; to bring their own families joy once again.

Bofur noticed three little heads not too far away staring in curiosity, he grinned as he recognised the children, Nari’s family; and he gave them a wave, they all waved back eagerly and he even heard the girl yelling a goodbye for them. He chuckled, a few dwarves looked at him and he shook his head, deciding to keep this as a memory for himself.


	7. Chapter 6

Callon opened the entrance and they walked on down the path that Bofur had taken them on the day before, though this time it was more leisurely instead of running for their lives. They were close enough to the lake to see a man with a barge, he was retrieving the barrels that they had escaped in and he hadn’t noticed them approaching.

Nari stopped walking and she held her finger to her mouth for them to remain silent, they waited in confusion as she began to walk along the shrubbery, still hidden.

Bilbo whispered loudly, “What is she doing, she can’t just steal his barge can she?” he gestured in disbelief.

“Don’t worry yerself Master Baggins,” Callon assured him quietly, a smirk forming on his features.

She climbed onto the boulder and leaped onto the barge, making a loud thud as she did, the bargeman dropped the barrel he was rolling and turned around in fear, appearing ready to assault whatever was threatening him.

He immediately relaxed, shaking his head but still giving her a light chuckle. She laughed and they exchanged pleasantries for a short time, the company tried to listen in but they were too far, though they seemed familiar enough with each other. They edged closer and finally caught on to the conversation.

“Ye know, ye still owe me a visit to Lake Town,”

“That won’t be so easy now, the people are becoming suspicious that you are not of Man, and I do not blame them for it,” he crossed his arms.

“What if I told ye, it wasn’t for me?” she asked and he raised a brow, “Ye see, I have some dwarf friends, they’re merchants from the Blue Mountains, and they’re needing to visit their kin in the Iron Hills…”

“Could they not go around?” he insisted.

“They’ve had a long journey Bard; they cannot delay their arrival any further than they have,” she countered.

“I know where those barrels came from,” Bard gestured to the battered barrels.

“Aye, and what of them?”

“My gut tells me that these dwarves you speak of had previous business with the Elves, and clearly it did not end on good terms. You know the Master’s wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm, and he would rather see them all in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil,”

“I’m not asking for ye to hide them from the Master, just to hold them indoors until nightfall, and let them on their merry way on a few of yer smaller boats, and then they’ll be off yer hands.”

“Nari, it would be incredibly risky of me to, I’m on thin ice as is-” he argued.

“But the risk is certainly worth the reward,”

“I’m listening,” he raises a brow.

“I know yer children will be in need of food and clothes, especially during these difficult times. And I’ll pay ye everything I’ve got,” she held out a bag full of coins, “Ye can’t say no to providing for yer bairns, now can ye Bard?”

He sighed, but agreed with her, “This is the last time I can do this; you understand do you not?”

“Aye, I do,” she nodded seriously, tossing him the bag, “Tell the children I said hello, would ye?”

“Aye, I will, the girls miss you dearly,” he tucked the bag away on his person.

She turned to leave but stopped herself, “Oh and one last thing- if anything is to happen to them I will not hesitate in coming for ye, understood? They’re my kin too,”

“Aye,” he nodded seriously, and continued loading the last of the barrels onto his barge.

She hopped off the barge and stood in front of the company, her hands triumphantly resting on her hips, “My friend Bard is going to escort ye to Lake Town, once yer there ye can get some boats and travel across the waters to Erebor on the other side,”

“How do we know we can trust him?” Thorin asked, looking at the man sceptically.

“I’ve visited that man’s home for years; I know him and his family well enough. He is one of the few ye can trust.” She spoke seriously, “And I gave him a good enough warning for him to heed, so ye will all be safe there,”

“We’re not going with them?” Callon asked, taking the words right from Bofur’s mouth.

“Aye Callon, they’ll have enough trouble with their numbers trying to sneak in and out without us tripping them up, and this is their quest,” she nodded to Thorin, Callon glanced at Fili before staring at her again.

“And yer to listen to Bard because he knows his town better than the lot of ye, he would not tell ye to do something unless it was for yer safety.”

Callon tried to argue, “But I’m sure they could use the extra hands-”

“If they could travel from the Blue Mountains across Middle Earth to Mirkwood without us, I think they’ll be capable of travelling the rest of the way,” she told her brother firmly.

“Nari, we must thank you for everything you’ve done, you’ve been a great help to us.” Balin smiled encouragingly.

“Yes, we will be sure to come back for you once we’ve reclaimed _our_ home,” Dwalin added, patting her shoulder.

“It was nothing, you are our kin after all,” she waved the thanks away, “We will be waiting anxiously for the news,” she agreed with a smile. “Ye should get going; time is catching up with ye.” She turned to see Bard waiting almost impatiently for the company, and they moved on to the barge.

“Thank ye again lass, we’ll see ye soon!” Bofur waved his goodbye, she waved back.

“Keep safe, the lot of ye!” she called back, “And Fili, keep an eye on yer brother!” the golden hair dwarf nodded, rubbing his brother’s hair playfully much to his annoyance and then waving his goodbye.

Soon enough the barge set off from the small dock, most of the company turning their attention to the other side of it to watch the waters ahead of them, while a few kept their eyes on the shore. Nari and Callon stayed watching until they drifted out of sight; once they were gone she turned and marched on towards the village wordlessly, with Callon slowly following her.

The dwarves stared across the lake in wonder, through the mist the peaks of Erebor revealed themselves, and for most this was the moment that made them realise that everything they had gone through was very real, and their home was almost tangible now.

Suddenly Bard yelled out, disturbing them from their day dreaming, “You must hide!”

“We will hide when we are sure of danger,” Thorin spat back.

“If you value your freedom, you’ll do as I say.” Bard frowned angrily at him. “There are guards ahead, get in the barrels, quickly now!” Despite the initial argument the company scattered immediately and settled into the barrels, the barge swiftly drifted up to the dock, and Bard climbed off towards a man that stood on the end of it.

“What’s he doing?” Dwalin asked irritably, unable to see where the bargeman had gone.

“He’s talking to someone…” Bilbo spoke up, using the hole in the barrel to peep through, he could make out Bard chatting to a man; and noticed him pointing casually towards the barrels, “And, oh, he’s pointing at us...” He watched as he shook hands with the man, and dropped some coins into a waiting hand. “Now they’re shaking hands.”

“What?” Thorin grunted in disbelief. “I thought Nari said we could trust him!”

Bofur spoke up, “Aye, we can Thorin, have some faith in Nari’s words lads-”

“The villain!” Another dwarf called out.

“He’s selling us out,” Dwalin growled.

“Lads, be reasonable and think-” Bofur was cut short when bucket-loads of fish flopped down on top of them all, and their fear of being caught turning into that of disgust, as the smell of fish overwhelmed their senses.

They continued on from the docks, with plenty of groans and complaints of the smells, and of being cramped in such small spaces for what felt like hours.

“Quiet,” Bard muttered, now irritated with the dwarves, he kicked one of barrels nearest to him, “We’re approaching the toll gate now,”

“I’m not mad at you Narriel, I’m simply disappointed. And to be throwing about another person is not welcome behaviour, especially as a princess- you have expectations to meet,” Misteth chided as she paced before her throne, shaking her head in disapproval.

“Aye, mother, I, I understand,” Nari bowed her head, and slowly lifted it up again.

“I insist that you apologise to Cáleb, it is the _least_ that you can do for him,”

“But, mother I-”

“I will not hear any arguments out of you,” she snapped, “The healer tells me that he shall be on bedrest for at least a week to recover from his injuries,”

“Aye mother,” she bowed her head, gritting her teeth slightly.

“And Callon, my dear son, I do wish you had put a stop to that nonsense before it ended the way it had,” Misteth tutted.

“A- aye mother,” Callon mumbled, not thinking he would be scolded as well, and bowed his head.

“Now both of you go, and Narriel, I will know if Cáleb did not receive his apology, so I suggest you don’t avoid doing so,”

“Aye mother,” she nodded.

Without another word to their mother, Nari and Callon left the hall, with Nari muttering angrily to herself about their mother, and they walked towards Cáleb’s home.

“Nari, why don’t ye take a breather first, before ye go ahead with this?” Callon asked, and she shook her head.

“I’d rather get this over with now,” she muttered.

“Then I’ll come with ye,” he matched her pace easily with his long legs.

“Alright,” she didn't argue further.

They entered his home and a familiar voice caught her attention, “Haven’t you done enough to him, Nari?” she glanced to the right and locked eyes with the young elf maid Elva.

“I came to apologise to him.” Nari stated.

“All of a sudden, why?”

“Let her in Elva, it’s alright,” Cáleb spoke from the other room, they all walked in to find him sitting slightly elevated on his bed, with several ointments clearly anointed over his wounds.

“Listen, Cáleb, I apologise for what happened earlier today, I may have taken things too far…” Nari rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, standing as far as she could from the bed.

He shook his head, “No I apologise,” Nari frowned, “I should have realised when to stop making advances when you clearly did not return them, you deserve better than that…” Cáleb continued, “You were angry, I understand that now,”

“Well… thank ye,” she shuffled on her feet awkwardly, “I, I wasn’t expecting ye to apologise to me,”

“It’s the least I can do for causing you the heartache I did. I only wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realise the pain I’d caused, but the look in your eyes told me everything today,”

“Still, I am sorry for half-murdering you, it wasn’t very fair.”

“Well, look, I’d been selfish, you’d been angry, and I accept your apology, it’s water under the bridge,” he waved his hand, “We were simply not meant to be.”

“Thank ye,” Nari nodded, feeling a huge relief fall from her shoulders, “I- I hope the best for ye Cáleb,”

“Thank you, to you as well Nari,” he bowed his head, and she did as well.

Nari and Callon stepped out quietly, and walked on with no destination in mind. “That went… surprisingly well, thank Mahal. Mother won’t be able to bother me about it now,” she chuckled lightly, Callon only nodded.

“Why is it that ye didn’t jump at the opportunity to join the Company?” he suddenly asked, making Nari look at him in surprise, “I mean, ye’ve wanted to return to Erebor for so long, it’s all we’ve ever talked about, dreamed about in fact,”

“Well… as much as I wish to return home, I still fear that we may not be accepted, and it was painful enough the first time around,”

“But once Thorin becomes King we’ll be welcomed,” he reminded her, “And it’s only right that out of all of us ye should be the first to return home, ye aided the company when they needed it most, and ye were likely the first to be cast out,”

“Perhaps ye’re right,” she stopped walking and stared at him. “Will ye come with me, brother?” he nodded, “Right, we’ll need a boat, and some supplies.”

They quickly ran to their homes and collected their own supplies in small backpacks, and met where a collection of small paddling boats were kept, they used to be used for the occasional trip to the waters, which had long since been collecting cobwebs.

They lifted one above their heads and carried it out beyond their borders without being noticed by any villagers; they made quick work of heading towards the lake and settled it into the water just by the dock. The memory of the dwarves’ departure was still fresh in their minds, they left barely a few hours ago and it was well past noon now, her brother stepped into the boat and waited for her.

Nari glanced down towards the area that she had found the dwarves in the day before, and stopped as she noticed a large form that had not been there earlier, she sprinted closer and froze at the scene before her.

“Nari, what is it?” Callon called out, she darted back wordlessly to the dock and practically leapt into the small boat, causing it to wobble unsteadily. “Nari?”

“Deer carcass, scattered everywhere,” she informed him, taking the oars into her hands, “The orcs must have somehow tracked them down,” she immediately set out to row the small boat by herself.

“How?” he asked, “Surely it can’t be from Kíli’s wound?”

“I’m not sure, but they have Wargs as well, who knows how close those bastards are to catching up with them,” she huffed worriedly. “I just hope we won’t be too late,”

“They wouldn’t have boats like us,”

“But if they’re determined, which they have been, they’ll have run halfway around the lake by now,” she insisted, “They could be killing them as we speak,”

“We cannot be certain, but we cannot only think the worst of the situation,” he tried to reassure her. “We will get there in time.”

If the fish hadn’t been enough of a problem then the task of moving passed the toll gate was even greater, after some words with a man Alfrid who had attempted to empty the barrels out into the lake they were relieved to be in the clear, at least for the time being.

They drifted further along and Bard finally deemed it safe for the dwarves to reveal themselves, walking over calmly and knocking over some of the barrels, making them crawl out in a mess of fish.

Bard approached another barrel and was met with a growl as Dwalin burst his head through, “Get your hands off me,” he and the others soon climbed out the barrels, grumbling and slimy, but relieved that they might be gaining foot on Erebor now more than ever.

A man on the dock stared with his jaw hanging open, and Bard swiftly approached him, opening his hands and placing a handful of coins and closing them. “You didn’t see them,” he looked at the elderly man, “The fish you can have for nothing,” he added, and the man was only able to nod in response, still staring at the company.

The company looked around to take in the so-called Lake Town, only to be greeted with a scene that could only be named as miserable, everything was wooden and seemed filthy, the clothing that hung on lines had minimal colours. A sure sign that the town was poor and suffering, and yet they seemed to be making the most of their situation. 

Bard marched passed the dwarves and peeked around the corner, examining both sides and then turned to them, “Follow me,” he walked on.

The company were sceptical as they glanced at one another, but under Nari’s word understood that they needed to trust him, and so they followed him through the shadows of some of the taller homes. The planks creaked and groaned under their feet, making them weary of the instability and being more cautious with their steps.

Out of the blue a boy ran up to Bard, his voice speaking unevenly from his sudden exertion, “Da! Our house, it’s being watched,” Bard looked to the dwarves as did the boy, his eyes widening in surprise. “Friends of Nari?”

“Indeed,” he thought for a moment and frowned, “We’ll have to get you in through the sewers-”

“The sewers?” Dwalin asked in outrage, “Are you mad, we’re not going in the sewers!”

“You don’t have a choice; it’s the only way I can get you through unseen,”

“This better be worth it bargeman,” Thorin muttered, and the dwarves murmured in disgust.

Bard led them to a sewer cover used for maintenance purposes, but by the state of it, it hadn’t been touched for years, he opened it up and Thorin peered in, trying hard to hide the disgust that spread on his face.

He jumped in, followed one by one by each member of the company, with Bombur being the last to follow and having to be yanked down as he nearly became stuck in the crusty hole. He fell in with a massive splash causing them to yell out in disgust.

“Quiet, we don’t need to draw attention to ourselves,” Thorin scolded, he turned to look at the pipes ahead, “We’ll have to go on our hands and knees, Mahal help you if you get lost,” he added with a huff, before crouching down and crawling forward on all fours.

The others did the same, moving straight ahead until they reached their first turning point that Bard had mentioned, a sudden flush of water gushed from a nearby opening and ran underneath them, raising the level of waste slightly. The smell was rancid; a mix of food that had clearly rotten and partially digested foods, their noses stung and a few dwarves complained that they might become sick.

“Well I’ve dealt with a lot worse, ye lads clearly have yet to smell the worst of Bombur’s farts, this is nothing by comparison,” Bofur joked, only the younger dwarves let out a chuckle, while the others groaned and shook their heads.

They continued on, turning another two corners before hopefully reaching their allocated destination, they waited in the darkness silently. It felt long, too long, and Thorin only hoped that they had made it to the right spot, otherwise an unsuspecting stranger was about to receive the worst surprise of their life.

Finally they heard the signalling knocks above them, and Dwalin offered to be the first to exit to ensure it was safe, Thorin made no arguments. The dwarf raised his hand above his head and he slowly stood up, pushing the lid of what he now understood to be the toilet, out of his way; he relaxed knowing that they were in the right place, but it improved his mood no less.

His eyes met the bargeman’s son with a glare, “If you speak of this to anyone, I’ll rip your arms off,” he reached his hand over the bowl and started pulling himself out, the boy tried to offer him a hand in help and he immediately swatted it away irritably, “Get off.”

Although slightly scared by the dwarf’s gruffness, the boy pointed further down the walkway to a set of stairs, “Up there,” he waited as the others climbed out, keeping a look out just in case they were still being watched.

An older girl peered at the stairs from the main house and called out uncertainly, “Da… why are there dwarves climbing out our toilet?”

“Will they bring us luck?” a younger girl asked hopefully, looking up at Bard excitedly.

“Well, we can only hope so Tilda,” he gave her a warm smile, “But they won’t be staying for long, they’re friends of Nari’s simply passing through,”

“Oh Nari! How is she Da?” the older girl asked.

“She is well, and wishes she could’ve visited as well,” Bard smiled, though a little sadly.

“Are you also half elf?” Tilda asked, peering up at Bofur, he smiled down at her making his hat flop in an awkward manner.

“No lass, we’re all dwarves,” he crouched down, “So ye’re friends with Nari are ye?” she nodded, “Do ye think ye can tell me more about her then?”

“I can, but only if you can tell me something about dwarves,” she smiled mischievously.

“It’s a deal then,” Bofur grinned and shook her hand gently, she bounded off to Bard after being called over and he stood up once again.

The dwarves gave themselves a quick scrub down with buckets of warm water and cloths before putting on their now tainted clothes that Nari had provided for them, and they settled inside the main room near the fireplace, having blankets passed to them and given warm beverages to heat themselves against the winter chill.

“They may not be the best comfort, but they’ll keep you warm for now,” Bard said to the company.

Bofur nodded in agreement and curled the blanket a little tighter around his shoulder, wishing he could cosy up in the armchair by the fireplace and sleep for at least a day, realising how sore his muscles truly were after resting in Eossimar the night before. He took a good long sip of his drink and sighed as the warmth spread inside and gave his body life once more.

“Thank you very much,” he heard Bilbo speak politely to Bard.

He smiled, the Hobbit never ceased to amaze him with maintaining his manners over the course of their journey, it was a wonder he had survived the unruly dwarves for nearly a year.

He watched as Bard’s children, who he’d learned were Bain, Sigrid and little Tilda, spoke excitedly to each other. Tilda seemed a little shy to return to him with conversation about Nari, as she stayed nervously by her sister’s side.

He noticed that the girls had braiding in their hair tied off with ribbons, not the usual styles worn by Man, and reckons that Nari had probably taught them how to do different styles, perhaps a mix of Elvish and Dwarvish.

He was disturbed from his thoughts when Thorin unexpectedly muttered in fascination at something beyond the window catching his attention, “A Dwarvish windlance,”

Bilbo walked up next to Thorin, his beverage clutched tightly and his blanket draped over him like a gown, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he peered at Thorin and then at the windlance.

Balin, having decidedly left his blanket and finished drink walked up behind them, “He has, the last time we saw such a weapon,” he nodded to the window, “A city was on fire, it was when the dragon came,”

Thorin stared out the window, pain clouding his features as the memories came flooding back to him, as if they had happened just yesterday. Bofur leaned closer to listen in, as his family had lived in the Blue Mountains years before the attack on Erebor and he was curious.

Balin spoke on, placing a hand on Thorin’s shoulder gently, “That day, Smaug destroyed the City of Dale. Girion, the Lord of the City rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast, but a dragon’s hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armour – only a black arrow fired from a wind lance could have pierced the dragon’s hide – and few of those arrows were ever made. The store was running low when Girion made his last stand.” He shook his head sadly.

Thorin spoke with disappointment, “And had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different,” he shook his head.

Bard stepped up, adding himself into the conversation, “You speak as if you were there,”

“All dwarves know the tale,” Thorin told him.

“Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon,” Bain walked up next to his father, “He loosened his scale under the left wing,” he added, making Thorin scoff in disbelief. “One more shot and he would have killed the beast.” He insisted, making Dwalin laugh from behind him.

“That’s a fairy-story lad, nothing more.” Dwalin shook his head.

Thorin’s impatience bubbled up and he looked at Bard seriously, “You took Nari’s money, now where are our promised boats?”

“Wait here,” Bard instructed with a huff, and hurriedly left the house, leaving his son to re-join with his sisters.

Bofur finished off his drink and hummed to himself at the pleasant warmth that lulled him into comfort, he peaked out of one of the windows and could see Bard, and he found himself feeling thankful for the help that Nari had brought to them.

He glanced at the young brothers and eased up as he saw Kíli resting his leg up and reclining on an armchair; he was certain that the young prince would have been on the verge of death had it not been for Nari healing him.

He looked out the window and watched as Bard finalised his arrangements with another man, they shook hands and Bard disappeared out of view. He turned to find Thorin and some of the other members in worried discussion privately, and wondered what they might be on about now, so he took a few steps closer.

“We must reach the Mountain before then,” Balin informed them.

“And if we do not, if we fail to find the hidden door before that time?” Kíli looked up at them from his seat.

“Then this quest has been for nothing,” Fili gritted his teeth slightly, looking down at his brother and still clearly concerned with his condition.

Bard returned suddenly which drew the company’s attention, they all gathered around a large table, waiting for him to speak.

“I have three boats available for you to use, four including my own, that you can use to travel across the lake,”

“Then we should get moving, we’re burning daylight,” Thorin said, about to walk away.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Bard ordered, making the soon-to-be King stop and stare at the bargeman.

“What did you say?” Dwalin asked angrily, stepping forward.

“There are spies watching this house, and probably every dock and wharf in the town.” He locked eyes on Dwalin and then addressed the others, “You must wait till nightfall.” Several members muttered displeased about the idea, “Unless you wish to be caught and jailed by the master, and his wretched helper Alfrid?” he asked them.

The dwarves discussed the matter for a bit before Thorin spoke, “We will stay,” he announced, though Bofur caught the quick glance at Dwalin which made him believe otherwise.

Bard nodded, satisfied with the answer and spoke to Bain, “Watch them” and once again left the house.

Dwalin muttered about having to be ordered around by a Man, and they each returned to their seats around the house and waited, albeit impatiently. Bofur had decided he preferred looking out the window, only to be disturbed by a light tug on his trousers; he frowned and saw Tilda staring up at him with a shy smile.

“Oh, hello lass, thought ye’d forgotten about me,” Bofur smiled and she giggled shaking her head, “How about we have a seat then?” he asked, taking a seat on the floor, and waited for her to sit as well.

“How do you know Nari?” Tilda asked, settling her hands on her laps neatly.

“Well, promise ye won’t tell yer Da first?” he raised a brow and she agreed, he spoke quietly, “We only met her a short time ago, but she helped us after we escaped the Elf dungeons,”

“Elf dungeons?” Her eyes widened, “Did you go to Mirkwood?”

“Aye, we did, and they didn’t fancy the idea of Dwarves walking through their territory,”

“That is mean of them,” she shook her head, “Did you meet Prince Legolas?”

“Ye know of Legolas?” he asked in surprise.

“Mhm, Nari told me that she courted him, but only for a short time,”

“Courted?” he raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment… _Oh, so ye care about feelings all of a sudden do ye?_ The words echoed in the back of his mind and her behaviour suddenly made sense now.

“Yes, but she ended it when she found that he did not actually care about her,” Tilda added, “She told me to be wary if a boy asks to court me, but I’m not very worried, Da and Bain are very protective over me, besides I’m much too young…”

The girl babbled on for some time but the words were drowned out by Bofur’s thoughts. He wondered how long ago this courtship happened, then he wondered how it began in the first place, and then his mind raced with the possibilities of what may have happened intimately within the time of courtship-

“Are you even listening to me?” She asked, crossing her arms.

“Oh, sorry lass,” Bofur gave her a sheepish grin and then pointed to her hair, “Did Nari teach ye girls how to braid that?”

“Oh yes! My sister Sigrid did this for me, a Dwarvish braiding,” she showed off her hair, “She likes to wear the Elvish ones more,”

“They’re lovely, truly,” Bofur grinned, Nari had indeed taught them well.

“Now tell me something about Dwarves!” she asked excitedly, and Bofur thought for a moment when a carved horse caught his attention.

“Do ye see that little horse over there?” he asked, and she frowned as she turned around, taking the object from the windowsill and settling in her lap. “Aye that one,”

“What about it?” she asked, passing it to him carefully as he reached out for it.

“I carved this beauty myself,” his chest puffed out a little, “Ye know how I know that?” she shook her head, “Ye see these little curves here? These are how I signed my pieces,”

“Really?” she asked, taking the item back and staring at it in amazement, tracing her fingers over the newly discovered markings. “I thought Dwarves only mined and forged,”

He shook his head, “My family stays in the Blue Mountains, we cook, we mine, but we also dabble in toy-making,” he told her, “And somehow this little fella ended up in yer home,”

“My Da gave it to me when I was little, it's the only thing I have of my Ma's,” she ran her fingers over the figure, her eyes threatening to spill tears and Bofur felt a pain in his chest, she quickly sprung up and hugged him; he was surprised but did not move away, and then she whispered in his ear, “Thank you for making this,”

“Oh- of course lass,” he patted her gently on the back, she released him and wiped away her tears, “That’s why I make them ye see, to bring a little joy,” he smiled, “Now don’t be crying for too long, yer mother would want ye to be smiling,”

“Tilda!” Sigrid called for her younger sister and the girl glanced over her shoulder.

“I have to go, thank you…” she frowned, not knowing his name.

“Bofur.”

“Thank you, Bofur,” she grinned and held the horse close to her heart, before running over to her sister.

Bofur smiled and stood up, taking his time to stretch out, and walking over to the princes who were seated by the fireplace. He glimpsed at the window to see the sun setting down, marking the end of another day, and wondered what the people of Eossimar would be up to that evening.

He caught Fili fussing over Kíli as he was shuffling about uncomfortably in his seat, and Kíli swatted away his brother’s hand irritably, making Fili move back into the other chair and cross his arms in annoyance.

“Ye alright there lads?” Bofur asked, looking between them with a raised brow.

“Yes Bofur, Kee’s just a bit tired is all,” Fili responded, shaking his head at his brother.

He knew better but didn’t wish to get between the brother’s little quarrel and moved on around the house a little. He could see for himself that Kíli was still far from recovering fully, but he had yet to follow Nari’s instructions to rest as much as possible, for they were still constantly on the move to reach Erebor.

The silence was promptly disturbed as Thorin addressed the company making Bofur jump in his skin, “Let’s go, we are not waiting for nightfall. We’ve wasted enough time as is, on your feet, now.” He stalked out of the room, followed closely by Dwalin and Balin, while the others gathered slowly by comparison.

Bain attempted to block the door but ducked away without hesitation under Dwalin’s intense gaze, and Bofur stood in the home for a moment. _So much for listening to Bard as Nari advised us to do._ He sighed and ran after the others, not wanting to be left behind.

They walked the paths for a bit before finding four small boats, it was very likely not the ones that they were provided but it didn’t matter to Thorin, who was adamant that they were leaving now. The dwarves quickly put their small packs of goods in the boats, and a few had climbed inside, others made to untie the boats from the docks.

Kíli, who had stayed aside for the most part, stepped forward and hissed at the unexpected pain that shot through his leg. He grabbed his leg, not only dropping his belongings with a loud clang, but then leaning against a stand nearby. It swayed under the unexpected force of Kíli’s weight and creaked sideways, falling into another table next to it, and causing crockery, fruits and other titbits to bang against the wooden planks beneath them.

The company winced in surprise at the sudden noise and all looked to Kíli, who promptly stood himself upright and winced again, Fili ran to his brother’s side in alarm.

Within moments they were surrounded by guards and held-up with swords, “Dwarves!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters to come in the future!  
> In the meanwhile, please check out [My Cardd](https://marvelhead17.carrd.co/) for any of my socials you want to add me on, or show your support!


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